A collection of Loud House one-shots
by Talespinner69
Summary: As the title would suggest, this is a collection of one-shots based around 'The Loud House'. This is where certain plots appear in their original forms. Rating is subject to change.
1. Chapter 1

Pre-chapter author's note: Remember how, in my various other Loud House stories, that I said I had been working on a collection of one-shots? Well, here they are. Unlike how they are presented during the events of 'Restored Image', the plots are presented here in their 'original' form; here, they play out as if (spoiler alerts for the 'Broken Mirror' stories and 'Resoted Image') Lincoln never ran away at all. Here's hoping that this collection somehow manages to impress at least one person.

Disclaimer: I do not own 'The Loud House' or any other property in this work that I did not make myself.

A collection of Loud House one-shots

Gridiron honor (Plot: Lynn Loud Jr.'s baseball team plays a baseball game against the team of Francisco, her crush. However, it ends in a way that leaves the sporty Loud sibling heartbroken. Lynn thinks the world is over…until she meets a boy from Sweden, that is.)

One afternoon over at the Loud residence, Lola Loud was entertaining a guest. This was not too uncommon an occurrence; as a self-proclaimed 'proper lady', Lola frequently had friends over for 'social gatherings', where she and other girls her age had snacks and tea while they socialized as if they were 'proper ladies'. However, what made _this_ instance particularly special was that the only guest that Lola had over was a boy.

To be specific, the boy was Winston, a boy that Lola has a crush on. With a mildly amused chuckle, Winston said as his and Lola's conversation went on, "That's nothing, Lola. Why, you should have seen the mess my mother got herself into at the Royal Woods Mall last week."

"Did it happen on Thursday, by any chance?" Lola asked, "Because if it did, then the story that my older sister Leni told me and the rest of my siblings when she got home from the mall that day suddenly makes way more sense."

As the two six-year-olds laughed over tea and cookies, Lola's older brother Lincoln walked by, a smile on his face because his little sister was getting along swimmingly with her crush. After walking up the stairs, Lincoln proceeded to make his way to his bedroom, which was actually a converted linin closet. Closing the door behind him, Lincoln turned to face the viewers.

"A while ago, there was this whole mess where my sisters and I thought that someone was sending one of us love letters," Lincoln began as he spoke to the viewers, "After we were able to narrow the choice down to just Luna, we made our way to where the latest love letter asked Luna to meet at. As it turned out, the whole love letter thing was something between our parents, as love letters are sort of their thing."

After taking off his shirt, pants, socks and shoes so he could read comics in his underpants, Lincoln continued as he picked up an issue of Ace Savvy, "However, the whole experience inspired my sisters and I to take a more active approach when it came to our crushes. I'm glad to say that some of those crushes actually managed to work out." Lincoln then proceeded to open his comic book to read, but after a few seconds, a resigned look appeared across the sole Loud boy's face.

Sighing in a resigned tone, Lincoln closed the comic, set it off to the side, and turned to face the viewers again. "Emphasis on _some_ ," Lincoln continued, "As far as I know, out of all of the crushes from the love letter fiasco a while ago, only three of them managed to work out and blossom into currently ongoing relationships."

Holding up fingers as he counted off, Lincoln said, "The first successful crush that I know of is Lori's crush on Bobby, the second one is Luna's crush on Sam, and the third one, as you had just seen, is Lola's crush on Winston." His tone taking on a sad hint, Lincoln continued, "Just as I know of three crushes from the love letter fiasco that succeeded, I also know of three crushes from the love letter fiasco that have failed. There is failed crush number one…"

(FLASHBACK)

Lincoln was carrying an armful of supplies for a project of some kind when he heard Lucy's signature sighing coming from her and Lynn's room. However, the goth Loud was sighing at a much greater frequency, which tipped Lincoln off that something was troubling his little sister. "Are you okay, Lucy?" Lincoln asked as he peeked his head into Lucy and Lynn's room.

"Sigh," Lucy said as she rolled over on her bed to face the wall, "I don't want to talk about it."

As Lincoln was talking to Lucy, their older sister Lori came by. "Lincoln, now is literally not the best time to bother Lucy," Lori said in as sympathetic of a tone as she could manage, "Lucy said when she came home earlier that she and Silas were over."

Closing the bedroom door to give his little sister some privacy, Lincoln said to Lori in a shocked tone, "That's terrible! What happened?"

Shrugging, Lori remarked, "I don't know. All I remember is that Lucy mentioned something about vampires versus mummies." As Lincoln gathered the supplies he was carrying, Lori said, "So what are you up to?"

"I'm making a model of the solar system for a school project," Lincoln explained, "In fact, my friend Rusty is coming over at some point to help me."

"He's not squeamish, is he?" Lori asked, "Because whenever Lucy gets as depressed as she is currently, she tries working on perfecting her recipe for fake blood."

"No clue," Lincoln replied, "No if you'll excuse me, I have a solar system to build."

(FLASHBACK OVER)

To the viewer, Lincoln said, "Then there is failed crush number two…"

(FLASHBACK)

Lincoln, Luna, Leni, Lucy and Lana sat on or around the sofa in the living room of the Loud residence, with baby Lily sitting on Luna's lap. Lincoln and Luna sat on either side of Leni, who was currently crying her eyes out. "We know that what happened was very bad, and we'll let you have all the time that you need," Lincoln said as he gently patted Leni's left shoulder, "But just so you know, we'll be here for you. Let us know if you need anything, alright?"

"Lincoln's right, dude," Luna added, "We got your back on this one, sis."

"Poo-poo," Lily babbled, looking up at her big sister while patting her leg.

Sniffling, the fashionable Loud sibling said, "Thanks, you guys. You all are, like, totes awesome for putting up with me while I'm, like, like this."

At that moment, Lori walked into the house, having just returned from somewhere. Spotting Leni, Lori said in a casual tone, "Oh, hey Leni. How was the party at Chaz's place?" Without warning, Leni's crying redoubled, prompting the siblings who were sitting with Leni to shoot death glares at their oldest sibling; Lana even made the 'zip it' motion over her lips.

Her eyes widening with shock when she realized what was going on, Lori said in a concerned tone, "Oh dear…"

(FLASHBACK OVER)

With another resigned sigh, Lincoln said, "Then there is failed crush number-"

Lincoln was cut off by a banging sound coming from the first floor of the Loud residence, followed by one of the sisters crying loudly. Curious and mildly worried, Lincoln got dressed quickly and left his room to see what was going on. From near the top of the stairs, Lincoln saw his older sister Lynn standing in the living room crying. As she was wearing a baseball helmet and baseball glove, not to mention there was a baseball bat lying on the floor on Lynn's right, Lincoln assumed that she had just gotten back from playing in a baseball game.

"Wow, Lynn's team must have lost really badly if Lynn's actually _crying_ about it," Lincoln remarked to himself in a concerned tone. As Lincoln reached the ground floor, the other Loud siblings gathered around from where they were at in the house, having been summoned by the sound of crying. Since Lola entered the area alone, Winston must have left beforehand.

"Lynn, are you, like, okay?" Leni asked in a concerned tone, heartbreak clear in her voice as the fashionable Loud sibling hated to see any of her siblings like this.

Walking into the house was Rita, the matriarch of the Loud family, and she must have heard Leni's question because she said, "Kids, Lynn's baseball game ended on a really bad note for her, so I think you all should give her some space for the time being."

"Oh geez," Lori remarked as she regarded her crying younger sister. Looking from Lynn to Rita, Lori continued, "Hey wait, wasn't that the game where Lynn's team played against the team that Francisco belongs t-" The oldest Loud sibling was cut off when Lynn shoulder-rammed her in the stomach, sending Lori flying into the sofa where she landed in a sitting position.

Practically leaping over to her older sister, Lynn grabbed Lori's tank top collar with both hands to yank Lori closer to her face, then, with both a look and tone that frightened Lori, Lynn said, "NEVER…SAY…THAT…NAME…AGAIN." Shoving Lori back into the sofa, Lynn leapt off and ran upstairs crying.

After Lynn disappeared upstairs, Lincoln turned to face the viewers again. "Four," Lincoln said to the viewers with a knowing look, "Make that _four_ crushes that I know of that failed."

* * *

A short while later in Lori and Leni's room, the Loud siblings, minus Lynn who was still in her room crying, were having a sibling meeting. "As we all know since mom explained it to us after Lynn ran to her room to cry earlier," Lori remarked as she gently rubbed her stomach, "The baseball team that Francisco belongs to was just found out to have committed multiple instances of cheating during the current season, and had in fact tried to cheat during today's game against Lynn's team. When the cheating was discovered during today's game, Francisco's team was disqualified, giving Lynn's team the win."

"When Lynn had asked Francisco about it upon the rampant cheating his team was doing being revealed," Lisa went on, "Lynn learned that, while Francisco himself didn't commit any of the cheating, he knew about what was going on but decided not to say anything about it."

"That sounds evil!" Lola exclaimed in righteous anger, "Why, if I heard that any of the girls in the pageants I take part in were cheating, I'd report them straight away! There is no room in the pageant circuit for any of that kind of messy business!"

"So, what can we do about it, everyone?" Lana asked, "I mean, from the sounds of things, Lynn isn't going to stop anytime soon."

"The best thing we can do is to give Lynn some space for the time being," Lori stated. With a mildly rattled expression, Lori added as she gently rubbed her stomach again, "A _lot_ of space."

"I sleep in the same room as Lynn," Lucy pointed out.

"Bunk with Lincoln for the night," Lori replied.

"That might not work, Lori," Lincoln began to explain, "You see, Clyde, Rusty, Liam, Zach and I have an overnight thing planned at Rusty's place tonight and-"

"At Rusty's?" Lori interrupted with obvious glee in her tone, "Even better! You can bring Lucy with you since she and Rocky managed to hit it off!"

Sighing in a tone that showed he knew that he didn't have a choice in the matter, Lincoln said, "I'll call the guys and let them know about the situation."

* * *

The following morning over at the Spokes residence, Lincoln and his friends were having breakfast in the kitchen; Lucy and Rocky were eating bowls of cereal out in the living room. "Man, I'm glad that you brought your little sister," Zach said with a chuckle as he pointed to Lincoln, "That fake blood of hers was perfect for pulling off that prank!"

"Are you kidding me, Zach?!" Rusty nearly exclaimed, "After what Lincoln's little sister did with Rocky last night, I'm going to have nightmares for weeks!"

"I still can't believe your dad was so willing to play the part of a murder victim for Rocky and Lucy's prank on you," Clyde remarked to Rusty.

"Nightmares for weeks," Rusty repeated before he finished off his bowl of cereal. "Meh, I'll get some more," Rusty remarked as he got up. Going over to the counter, Rusty poured some cereal into his bowl and left it there while he retrieved a carton of milk from the fridge. Heading back to where he left his bowl, Rusty opened the milk carton and proceeded to pour.

However, instead of milk pouring out, what appeared to be blood came out of the milk carton instead. Seeing the 'blood', Rusty gasped before he fainted and fell over onto the kitchen floor. As Lincoln and his other friends got up to go help Rusty, the four boys heard chuckling from the kitchen doorway. Turning their attention to see who was standing there, Lincoln and the others saw Lucy and Rocky standing there in the kitchen doorway.

"Always works," Rocky chuckled as he and Lucy shared a high-five.

"Note to self," Lincoln remarked to himself, "Get Lucy on my side for next April Fool's. She might be able to help fight back against Luan."

* * *

Later, as Lincoln and Lucy were walking home from Rusty's place, Lincoln said, "I hope that Lynn's gotten at least a _little_ better."

Looking over at something that had suddenly caught her attention, Lucy pointed to what she was seeing and said, "Yeah, that's not happening anytime soon." Looking to where Lucy was pointing, Lincoln saw that Lynn was standing under a tree, with her baseball helmet sitting on the ground. The sporty Loud sibling was bashing it repeatedly with her baseball bat.

"Stupid baseball!" Lincoln and Lucy could hear Lynn saying angrily as she started causing damage to the baseball helmet, "Stupid cheating! Stupid Francisco!" With more speed and fury, Lynn exclaimed as she broke the baseball helmet to pieces, "STUPID! STUPID! STUPID!" As Lynn breathed hard in exhaustion, Lincoln and Lucy came over, concern for their older sister's emotional state overriding any other thoughts that they had.

"Lynn, are you okay?" Lincoln asked in a concerned tone, getting Lynn's attention. Having heard her brother speak in a concerned tone, Lynn turned to see Lincoln and Lucy both standing there, both wearing expressions of worry on their faces. Seeing two of her younger siblings looking so concerned, Lynn's eyes watered up as she threw her arms around her younger siblings, drawing them into a hug as she cried, no longer able to keep up the fury that had allowed her to destroy her baseball helmet.

"I can't believe this happened to me!" Lynn wailed as hot tears rolled down the sides of her face, "How could any sportsman condone rampant cheating in his team?! How could any sports team get away with any cheating like that?! How?!"

"There, there," Lincoln said as he gently patted Lynn's back, "I'm certain that there are plenty of boys out there who play baseball who agree with you wholeheartedly. You just need to get yourself back out there."

Sniffling a bit, Lynn got up out of the hug and looked Lincoln in the face. "Thanks for the encouragement, little bro," Lynn replied through her sniffling, "But I'm taking a break from baseball for the time being. I can't even pick up a bat without thinking about-"

Lynn was cut off when something hit her in the back. Turning around to see, Lynn saw a football laying on the ground behind her. Picking the football up, Lynn examined it for a bit before she heard someone call out, "Hey, can I get my football back?" Lynn and her younger siblings looked over to see a boy coming over to them.

Roughly the same height as Luan, this boy had long and somewhat wild-looking black hair. He wore a light brown long-sleeved shirt (its sleeve ends hung loosely around the wrists, rather than cling tightly to them) under a somewhat baggy t-shirt that resembled the Swedish flag, a loose-fitting pair of cargo pants held up with a belt, and brown boots. Around the boy's neck was a necklace that had three bear claws as charms. The boy was also noticeably, but not excessively, strong of body; that, plus his bear claw necklace and his long and wild black hair gave him the look of a wild warrior from a northern land of snow and cold.

"Hey, are you okay?" the boy asked as he pointed to Lynn, who was holding the football that he was seeking.

Lynn, having gotten a good look at this boy, stood there as if caught in a trance. Seeing that her older sister wasn't moving, Lucy waved a hand in front of Lynn's face. Turning to face the boy that came up to them, Lucy said, "You'll have to forgive my sister. You see, she's going through some rough times right now."

"I notice that she must have been crying," the boy remarked, "I assume that someone did something to upset her a lot?"

"A baseball team that her baseball team played against tried to cheat in an official game they played," Lincoln explained, "It hit my sister really hard, given how dedicated she it to sports."

"I see," the boy replied in an understanding tone, "I don't know a lot about baseball, but I would be of a similar disposition as your sister if something like that occurred on the gridiron."

"Totally!" Lynn suddenly exclaimed, sounding as if she had suddenly gotten over what had made her upset, "In fact, my football team is looking for a new strong safety, and you look like you'd be perfect for the position! What's your name?"

Caught off guard somewhat by Lynn's sudden recovery, the boy replied, "I am Ulfric Aesir. My parents and I just moved here from Sweden."

"Well that certainly explains why I haven't seen you around before," Lynn said with a hint of eagerness in her tone, "Do you go to Royal Woods Middle School?"

"I start tomorrow," Ulfric replied, "Why? Do you go there as well?"

"Totally," Lynn answered as her small smile started to ever-so-slightly grow, "Where should we meet up after classes tomorrow so I can take you over to the football field for practice?"

"How about the library?" Ulfric suggested, "I was told that the library has a book on Norse Mythology, which I'm rather interested in reading."

"Sounds perfect!" Lynn explained, "Anything else?"

Pointing to Lynn, Ulfric said, "I'd like my football back, please." Noticing that she was still holding Ulfric's football, Lynn blushed and chuckled in an embarrassed manner as she handed the football over to Ulfric. "Well then, I suppose I shall be seeing you later," Ulfric remarked, "As I gave you my name, can I get yours before I go?"

"Lynn Loud," replied the sporty Loud sibling.

With something of a small smile, Ulfric replied, "Well then, Lynn Loud, I look forward to throwing the pigskin around with you." Turning around, Ulfric said as he walked off while he raised a hand, "Take care."

After Ulfric was gone, Lincoln said, "Wow, Lynn, looks like finding a potential new member for the football team you belong to helped to get you out of your depression." After a few seconds of not getting a response from Lynn, Lincoln leaned forward slightly and turned his head so that he could see his sister's face.

Recognizing the look of being love-struck on Lynn's face, Lincoln turned to face Lucy and said, "Should we tell the girls?"

"Lori would threaten to turn us into human pretzels if she found out we withheld this information from her," Lucy replied, "So yes, I say we tell the girls as soon as we get back."

* * *

The following day after classes at Royal Woods Middle School let out for the day, Lynn was leading Ulfric out to the school's football field. "Wait a minute, you're only thirteen?" Lynn remarked as the two walked and talked, "You look kind of big for thirteen."

"Those of the bloodline that I belong to have a tendency to grow strong," Ulfric explained.

"And I hope to see that strength put to the test today," Lynn said as the two thirteen-year-olds reached the football field. After a few seconds, Lynn spotted the football coach, a balding mid-fifties man with a mild but noticeable paunch, and led Ulfric over to him. "Coach, this is the boy I told you about earlier," Lynn said as she introduced Ulfric to the football coach.

"You're that boy whose family moved here from Sweden, aren't you?" the football coach asked as he pointed to Ulfric. When the boy nodded once in the affirmative, the football coach let out an impressed-sounding whistle before saying, "What do they feed you over there? You look like you can already play for a high school football team!"

After compliments were paid, Ulfric was given a uniform and made to go through a few plays with other members of the football team. As Lynn had predicted, Ulfric was phenomenal as a strong safety. The practice was going smoothly up until Ulfric got ahold of the football during one of the exercises. When he did, Ulfric noticed something that made him pause.

Seeing Ulfric just stand there as he gave the football a gentle squeeze, the coach called for a time out. "Ulfric, are you okay, young man?" the football coach asked as he quickly dashed over.

"Sorry, it's just that when I grabbed the football, I noticed that it doesn't seem to be inflated properly," Ulfric explained, "Whoever's supposed to maintain the equipment must have forgotten to inflate it." Upon the football coach's request, Ulfric handed the football over.

Giving the football a gentle couple of squeezes, the football coach remarked, "You're right! This football hasn't been properly inflated! This could lead to bad plays!" To the football team as a whole, the coach said, "You all wait here. I'm going to go get another football." The football coach then dashed off quickly, leaving a bunch of middle schoolers alone on the football field.

Unbeknownst to most of the rest of the football team, two of the boys were regarding Ulfric with particularly accusing glares.

…

After football practice was over for the day, the boys on the team went to the locker room to change (Lynn, being the sole girl on the team, pretty much had the girls' locker room to herself). After most of the boys had left to go home, Ulfric was still in the locker room, figuring that he'd wait in the locker room until one of his parents had called to let him know that they had arrived to pick him up (there was some very good air conditioning in the locker room).

As Ulfric waited, he felt someone shove against the upper left (from his point of view) area of his back somewhat roughly. The Swedish boy quickly turned around to confront whoever was trying to be rough with him, more or less shoving his face into the faces of two of the boys on the football team.

Since he was not only taller than either of these two boys by at least a few good inches, but more physically well-conditioned as well, Ulfric turning on them like that made the two boys back up somewhat out of mild alarm, especially due to the rather unhappy scowl that Ulfric wore. If the two boys were lesser males, they might have urinated themselves out of fright.

"Whoa, easy there, Conan," one of the two boys said in a casual mischievous tone, "We were just playing around with you is all."

"By shoving me?" Ulfric asked in a mildly accusing tone.

"It's a little something called 'hazing'," the other boy replied, "It's sort-of like an initiation ritual for new members of the team."

"…Whatever," Ulfric said, his tone showing that his mood had dropped somewhat, "So is there anything else I can do for you?"

"Now that you mention it, yeah, there is," the first boy began, "You remember during practice earlier how you noticed that the first football we were using was not fully inflated?"

"Using equipment that isn't properly maintained can lead to imperfect playing," Ulfric remarked in a matter-of-fact manner, "I would not like our playing to be negatively impacted because someone didn't take care to make sure the equipment was being maintained properly."

"Well see new kid," the first boy said, "Here's the thing. The football was like that on purpose."

"Someone intentionally didn't do their job at making sure that the football was properly inflated?" Ulfric asked, his expression a mix of confusion and accusation (mostly confusion).

"What we did made the football easier to grip," the second boy explained as he gestured to himself and the first boy, "It lets us hold onto the football more easily. We don't want the opposing team to take the football from us, do we? That would give them a better chance to score against us."

"Just do us a favor, new kid," the first boy said in a knowing tone, "From now on, if you ever notice that the football isn't fully inflated, keep quiet about it. Alright?"

Giving the two boys a wry look, Ulfric replied, "…Very well."

"Well alright," the first boy said as he gave Ulfric a congratulatory pat on his right shoulder, "Glad to see that our team isn't getting another by-the-book type like Lynn Loud."

"What was the coach even thinking, allowing a girl on the team in the first place?" the second boy remarked to the first boy as the two of them took off, leaving Ulfric alone.

When he was completely alone in the locker room, Ulfric said to himself, "This troubles me. I should ask Lynn about this."

* * *

Later that evening over at the Loud residence, Lincoln was helping Leni, Luna, Lucy and Lana with setting up the table for dinner. As the five of them got the table ready, they brought up how Lynn had seemingly found a new crush. "He sounds like a solid dude from what you and Lucy have told the rest of us," Luna said to Lincoln as they straightened out the chairs at the table, some of which were seated at somewhat crooked angles.

"Yeah, and from what you said about him not liking cheating in football, I'm certain that he won't go and-" Lana said, but she was cut off midsentence by some knocking that came from the front door.

"I'll get that," Lincoln replied as he left the dining room to go answer the door. When he did, the sole Loud boy was surprised to see Ulfric.

"I apologize if I came at an inconvenient time," Ulfric greeted with a look of mild concern on his face, "But something came up that I wish to ask Lynn about. Is she available right now?" Before Lincoln could answer, Lynn happened to have walked by at the moment. Noticing that Ulfric was at the door, she immediately came over.

"Ulfric! Hey!" Lynn greeted in a friendly tone, "Come on in!"

"Lynn, we're about to have dinner," Lucy said as she, Luna, Lana and Leni came out of the dining room, "He can't stay for long."

"I just had something that I wished to ask Lynn about," Ulfric replied, "I'll keep my business here brief."

"You…you wanted to ask me about something?" Lynn said, a faint but steadily growing blush appearing across her face.

Nodding once in the affirmative, Ulfric began, "Remember how the football we were using earlier during practice wasn't inflated properly?"

Her expression dropping somewhat, Lynn replied, "Oh yeah. The football incident from earlier." Straightening up somewhat, Lynn asked, "What about it?"

"Let's say, in a hypothetical situation, that the football was like that intentionally," Ulfric said, "For the supposed purpose of making it easier to grip. Is this a good thing, yes or no?"

"What?!" Lynn exclaimed in shock, "Of course that's not a good thing! That's a form of cheating!"

"…As I suspected," Ulfric remarked as he looked to the floor, holding his left hand over his chin as he put his right hand on his waist. Looking back up to Lynn, the Swedish boy continued, "Since that's the case, then I'm afraid that some of the members of the football team we belong to are trying to use the apparent method of cheating that I had just described."

"I…I can't believe this," Lynn said as she held a hand to her forehead, "Members of one of the sports teams I belong to are trying to cheat. This can't be real."

"Little dude, what happened exactly?" Luna asked Ulfric. Keeping his story brief, Ulfric proceeded to explain what had happened in the locker room, from the attempted hazing to the two boys saying that the football being improperly inflated was intentional. Ulfric finished by saying that he was under the implication that he was being threatened by the two boys in question into keeping quiet (not that either of them were capable of carrying out anything against Ulfric, of course).

"As the coach had left prior to the conflict," Ulfric said as he finished his tale, "I decided that informing Lynn in the hopes that we can bring this to the coach's attention tomorrow together was the best course of action."

Sniffling a little bit, Lynn said, "Ulfric."

"Hmm?" Ulfric replied in a tone of mildly piqued interest as he turned to face the sporty Loud sibling. Although she looked like she was going to start crying at any moment, Lynn was smiling, as if someone had just done her a great kindness.

"Thanks," was all that Lynn said.

"…I am confused," Ulfric admitted in a mildly lost tone, "Why are you thanking me?"

"Baseball is kind of spoiled for me at the moment because someone ruined it for me," Lynn explained as she was putting in a bit of effort not to cry, "If it hadn't been for what you did just now, the same would have happened to football. I'm not even sure if I would have been able to stick with sports as a whole if football was ruined for me like baseball was."

With a wry look of mild amusement on his face, Ulfric replied, "Unlike those two boys who I mentioned, you aren't lacking in honor on the gridiron, or honor in general. That's something that I have to respect, Lynn. Well anyway, I'll be taking my leave now. See you tomorrow."

After Ulfric took his leave, Lynn gently closed the door behind him, then turned to face her siblings. "So, sis," Lana remarked with a sly look, "When are you gonna make your move?"

"I don't know!" Lynn exclaimed in embarrassment, which was further highlighted by the blushing on her face.

* * *

The following day at Royal Woods Middle School, Lynn and Ulfric found the coach and brought the apparent cheating to his attention. As such, during practice later that day, the coach did a thorough investigation. As it turned out, half of the boys were in on the cheating, while the other half of the boys had no idea that it was going on and expressed total disgust with the cheating half. The cheating half of the team was kicked off the football team entirely, with the two who had hazed/threatened Ulfric even being suspended from school (Ulfric had identified them).

Due to the football coach cutting the total number of kids on the football team by half, Royal Woods Middle School had to surrender the next three games they were slated to play against the football teams of other middle schools (they needed time to find more players). However, the principal of RWMS didn't mind at all; in fact, the principal agreed with the football coach about not being able to play with a clean team being better than playing with one that was dirty.

A sentiment that the remaining members of the RWMS football team all agreed with.

At the Loud residence that evening, Lynn was sitting in the living room with Lincoln, Lori, Luan, Lola and Lisa; the oldest half of that group sat on the sofa while the younger half sat on the floor. "Hey Lynn, I heard that the football team can't play in the next three games that it was slated to play," Luan remarked, "Are you okay about that?"

"Well of course I'm upset about not being able to play," Lynn replied. After a few seconds, Lynn added, "But I would have been even more upset if I did play but I discovered that my team had been cheating."

"So, you're good?" Lori asked in a concerned tone.

With a bit of a chuckle, Lynn said, "Yeah, everyone. I'm goo-" Lynn was cut off when there was a knocking at the door.

"Allow me, my sibling units," Lisa said as she got up and went to answer the door. A few seconds after she did, Lisa called out, "Hey Lynn! Some boy who looks like a barbarian movie reject from the nineteen-eighties is asking for you!"

"Barbarian movie reject?" Ulfric's familiar voice replied, two parts offended and eight parts confused.

"Dang it, Lisa!" Lynn swore as she got up quickly and ran over to the door, seeing Ulfric standing there. "Ulfric, I am so sorry about my little sister here," Lynn said as she not-so-gently shoved Lisa out to the living room. Returning to the front door, Lynn said, "So anyway, what brings you by?"

"Some girl at our school talked to me earlier," Ulfric began, "She told me that since the football team is going to be forced to miss the next couple of games, you would most likely feel upset about it." Holding up a small shopping bag from a foreign food store, Ulfric continued, "As you are the first person who I met since moving here to the states that treated me with kindness, I felt as if I should try to help you feel better. The girl recommended that I get you some chocolate to snack on."

"Did he say chocolate?" Lori said as she quickly came running over with the other sisters who were watching TV with Lynn. Lincoln, with a bemused look on his face due to his sisters' antics, came walking over a few seconds later.

"Umm, it's meant for Lynn," Ulfric replied in a mildly confused tone as he saw the eager looks on the faces of the other girls, "I'm sorry if-" Stopping short upon seeing Luan, Ulfric pointed to her and said, "Hey, you're the girl who gave me the idea about getting chocolate for Lynn to help her feel better."

"Oh, that's my older sister Luan," Lynn said as she gestured to the comedic Loud sibling.

Regarding Lynn's sisters and Lincoln, Ulfric turned to face Lynn. "You certainly belong to a rather large clan, Lynn," remarked the Swedish boy. Hearing Ulfric say this, Lynn could not help but chuckle.

"This is only half of my siblings," Lynn pointed out.

His eyes widening somewhat out of shock due to Lynn's statement, Ulfric merely said in a shocked tone, "…Impressive." This made Lynn laugh even louder and harder.

As the other Loud siblings who were present were watching this, Luan turned to face Lincoln, Lori, Lola and Lisa. Discreetly pointing to Ulfric, Luan said, "That boy's a keeper."

* * *

After dinner, Lincoln was alone in his room, reading a comic book in his underpants. Setting it off to the side, Lincoln turned to face the viewers. "As I was saying earlier," Lincoln remarked, "Although some of the crushes from the whole love letter fiasco a while ago worked out, some of them also didn't work out."

Getting up off of his bed, Lincoln said to the viewers as he put on a pair of sleep pants, "I used to say that three of the crushes from the love letter fiasco a while ago didn't work out, but in light of recent events, now I have to say that four of those crushes didn't work out. There was failed crush number one, failed crush number two, and failed crush number three."

Going over to his dresser, Lincoln pulled a drawer open, then removed a small photo of a fair-skinned girl with long, orange-colored hair. Sighing in a resigned tone, Lincoln unceremoniously tore the small photo to pieces.

(FLASHBACK)

"Lincoln, bro, are you going to be okay?" Clyde asked as he and Lincoln walked through the halls of Royal Woods Elementary School, "I heard what happened about Paige."

"Yeah, Clyde," Lincoln said with a mildly somber expression, "I'll get over it eventually." Straightening himself up, Lincoln said, "I'll just have to put on a brave face. If my sisters see me come home looking all depressed, they'll be swarming all over me in their attempt to make me feel better."

When Lincoln and Clyde parted a few seconds later, with Clyde saying something about not minding if Lori tried to swarm him, Lincoln reached his locker. When Lincoln opened his locker, he felt someone pull his pants down, exposing his underpants. Turning to face the direction the bully must have taken off in, Lincoln exclaimed, "Really?!" Students who were in the area at the time proceeded to point and laugh at Lincoln; some of those students even decided to take pictures of the scene with cameras/cell phones.

(END FLASHBACK)

Sighing, Lincoln said to the viewers, "As for failed crush number four, it doesn't really matter." Throwing a shirt on over his head, Lincoln said, "I wonder if Ronnie Anne is available to have a quick video chat with me."

END

Author's Notes:

If any of you noticed the similarities between this one-shot and the plot of one of the earlier chapters of 'Restored Image', that's because the plot of this chapter was adapted to the 'Restored Image' setting; like I said at the beginning, this is the plot in its original form. This one-shot revolved around the sad but true fact that first crushes seldom ever work out, although to be fair I left some of the crushes from 'L is for Love' successful while leaving a few others ambiguous. Anywho, the next one-shot is actually going to be a whole episode flashback-type deal, hence why it wasn't adapted to the plot of 'Restored Image'.

I was also working with a theory that I saw a few times that 'L is for Love' takes place sometime prior to both 'Heavy Meddle' and 'Back in black'.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own 'The Loud House' or any other property in this work that I did not make myself.

A collection of Loud House one-shots

Welcome home, Lincoln (Plot: Six-year-old Lori Loud is not sure what to make of it when her newest sibling is brought home after having been born at Royal Woods General, especially since this new sibling, unlike Lori and her sisters, is a boy.)

A group of five girls, the daughters of Lynn Sr. and Rita Loud, were gathered around a crib in a nursery on the second floor of the Loud family's house. These girls, six-year-old Lori, five-year-old Leni, four-year-old Luna, three-year-old Luan and two-year-old Lynn, all looked into the crib to see the newest addition to the Loud family, their newest sibling, their new baby brother.

Their new baby _brother_. A _boy_. The first in the immediate family's history, if the streak of five daughters wasn't enough of a clue.

"He's, like, totes adorable!" Leni remarked as she watched her baby brother snooze away, "He's as cute as a baby!"

"He _is_ a baby, Leni," Lori remarked to her younger sister; out of the five Loud girls, only Lori wasn't beside herself with glee, wasn't cooing at the newest Loud family member, wasn't wondering when she'd get to play with little Lincoln (that's the name their parents had given to the baby boy). Lori was still happy, though, and would like to play with Lincoln at some point.

"Why Lori no happy?" Lynn asked as she looked up at her oldest sibling; being only two years of age, Lynn's vocabulary skills are, expectedly, not all that developed yet. The fact that Lynn had enough of a vocabulary at her current age so that she can speak in sentences that others can understand had done nothing short of impress the Loud parents.

"It's not that, sis," Lori replied when she turned to face Lynn and her other sisters, "It's just that I've been around for all of your births as well, so seeing a new sibling brought home, while still amazing, has kind of lost its charm. Besides which…"

Turning her head back so that she looked into the crib, looked down on her only brother, Lori continued, "This one's different from us. It's a brother. I'm not quite sure what to make of the fact that there's a boy among our number now."

"Lynn happy there brother now," Lynn said, "Now Lynn have sibling who like ball!" To further drive her point in, Lynn pulled out a small football that their father had gotten for her; even at only two years of age, Lynn had already gained an interest in sports, sitting on the sofa with Lynn Sr. when he had a game on the TV, or asking him to read articles to her from the newspaper's sports section. Lynn was the only sibling so far to have shown an interest in sports, as Lori, Leni, Luna and Luan are not all that interested in sports.

"Lincoln was literally just brought home a few days ago, Lynn," Lori remarked, "So it's very important to be gentle with him." That last word she had said made her pause; _him_. Lori still couldn't believe that she now had a sibling who she had to refer to as a _him_ , especially after the long streak of _hers_.

The six-year-old girl did not know what to make of that.

* * *

Sometime later, the moment that all of the Loud girls, even Lori, were waiting for finally happened; they were getting to play with their new baby brother for the first time. Down on the first floor of the Loud family's house, the family had all gathered in the living room, where Lynn Sr. and Rita, the latter holding her baby boy, had the girls all sitting on the floor.

"Now girls," Rita instructed in a kind yet firm tone, "I want all of you to let Lincoln move around on his own. Don't try to restrict him, alright?"

"But what if he tries to do something that can get him hurt?" Luna asked.

"Your mother and I will keep an eye on everything," Lynn Sr. replied, "We'll intervene if it looks like Lincoln might hurt himself accidently."

With all of the girls nodding in agreement, Rita gently placed Lincoln on the floor, allowing him to crawl around at his leisure. At first, Lincoln did not move around; he just sat there, looking at all of his older sisters. The girls, minus Lori who was more mature due to experience, all wanted to go over and pick Lincoln up. But they promised their mother that they'd let Lincoln move around as he wanted. It's just that he wasn't moving around at first.

However, a proverbial weight was lifted from the girls about a minute after Lincoln was placed on the floor; that's when the only Loud boy started crawling around. He first crawled over to Lori, looking up at her face as he stood there on all fours. Lori's expression was casual, as she had done this routine many times before with the other siblings. But none the less, Lori smiled when baby Lincoln looked up at her.

Lincoln then crawled over to Leni, who sat on Lori's left. After looking up at her face for a few seconds, Lincoln smiled and let out a cute baby giggle, which prompted the five-year-old girl to giggle herself. "I think he likes me!" Leni said excitedly. Waving her hand at Lincoln, Leni said, "Hi, Linky! I'm, like, going to be the best big sister ever!"

"Oh, so you want a challenge, do you?" four-year-old Luna remarked when she turned her head to her right so that she could face Leni.

Having heard Luna speak, Lincoln turned to face her and crawled over to her next. Looking up at the middle Loud sister, Lincoln starred at her for a few seconds. Then, like with Leni before, Lincoln smiled and giggled, which made Luna giggle in a manner similar to Leni.

The Loud boy then crawled over to and looked up at Luan. "Hey, little brother!" Luan greeted in a friendly, tone, "You're going to love it here, I guarantee it!" After starring at Luan for a few seconds, Lincoln turned and crawled over to Lynn, who sat at the end of the line of sisters.

"Hi brother!" Lynn said as she waived her hand at Lincoln. Holding up the mini football that she had, Lynn said, "This football. Football for playing!" Seeing the mini football, Lincoln reached his right hand out for it, so Lynn sat it on the floor and allowed Lincoln to investigate it. After patting the mini football for a few seconds, Lincoln picked it up with both hands and put the one end into his mouth; even though the mini football was roughly half the size of a standard football, it was still too big to be a choking hazard to a baby Lincoln's age. Or to anyone, for that matter. "Why brother try eat football?" Lynn asked, clearly concerned that her favorite toy was going to be eaten.

"Babies usually put things in their mouths when things are new to them," Lynn Sr. explained to his youngest daughter, "That's how they usually investigate. Lincoln isn't really going to eat your football, Junior."

After a few seconds, Lincoln took the football out of his mouth and set it back on the floor. He then turned around and crawled back up the line of sisters, stopped when he got to where Leni and Luna sat, and tried to crawl between them. When he was between Leni and Luna, Lincoln giggled before he laid down on the floor.

"Aww, isn't this adorable, dear?" Rita gushed as she turned to face Lynn Sr., "Lincoln already likes being with his older sisters!"

"Well I'm glad he likes being with them, given that it's going to be a rather consistent thing in a household like this," Lynn Sr. remarked as he took out a camera and snapped a picture of Lincoln sitting between Leni and Luna. When the camera flashed upon taking the picture, the brief flash of light startled Lincoln, making him cry.

"Dad's bullying Lincoln!" Leni exclaimed in shock as she pointed at Lynn Sr.

"Why did you make Lincoln cry, dad?" Luan asked in a firm, angry tone as she got up.

"Girls, your father didn't mean to make your brother cry," Rita explained to her daughters as she walked over to pick up Lincoln, gently patting his back as she rocked him back and forth.

"Mom's right, girls," Lori remarked, "The camera flash must have startled Lincoln." Looking up at her baby brother as he was gently rocked in Rita's arms, Lori watched as Lincoln's crying simmered down. When the crying stopped altogether, Lincoln let out a little baby yawn.

"Oh, he must be tired," Rita said, "I'll go put him to bed now."

"Sorry, sport," Lynn Sr. called out to Lincoln as Rita took the only Loud boy upstairs to the nursery, "I didn't mean to make you cry like that."

When Rita was gone up the stairs with Lincoln, Lynn Sr. turned to face his five daughters, all of which aside from Lori looking up at him with disappointed looks on their faces. "Dad no more bully brother," Lynn said, her firm glare more adorable than effective in getting her point across.

" _Well_ , _at least they_ ' _re going to be protective of Lincoln_ ," Lynn Sr. thought as he was on the receiving end of a number of disappointed looks.

* * *

The next day, Rita had gone out to do some grocery shopping while taking Lincoln with her. This left the girls in Lynn Sr.'s care. While the girls were scattered throughout the house, Lori was going through one of her books from school; it was actually just a spiral bound notebook that she doodled in, but looking through it while telling her younger siblings it was a school book made Lori look very smart.

As Lori laid on her bed, going over her 'school book', Lynn came wandering into the room. "Lynn have question for sister," the two-year-old girl said in a concerned tone, "Sister smart, so sister must know answer to Lynn question."

Smiling due to her ego being stroked, Lori gently closed her 'school book' then looked over to her youngest sister. "What's up, Lynn?" Lori asked.

"Why brother no like Lynn?" asked Lynn.

"Excuse me?" Lori asked, mildly taken aback by the out-of-nowhere question.

"Brother no play with Lynn yesterday," Lynn explained in her concerned tone, "Brother play with Leni and Luna yesterday. Brother no like Lynn."

"Lynn, why don't you come over here?" Lori asked in a gentle tone as she sat up on her bed then patted the area of the bed next to her. After the youngest Loud sister came over and crawled onto Lori's bed to sit next to her, Lori explained, "Lincoln doesn't not like you, Lynn, alright? We only interacted with him once so far, and it takes more time than that to build up trust. In fact, I was not expecting Lincoln to like playing with any of us right off the bat, so the fact that he likes Leni and Luna right away still has me kind of surprised." Gently laying a hand on her little sister's shoulder, Lori said, "Lincoln will like playing with you, Lynn. You just have to give him some time."

"Then maybe…" Lynn began slowly, "…Then maybe brother like football?"

"Ehh," Lori replied in a somewhat unsure tone, "I wouldn't recommend it. I'm doubting that Lincoln will like the football's bumpy, leathery texture, and I likewise don't think he'll like your baseball, or any of your hockey pucks."

"Brother no like sports?" Lynn replied, her expression becoming crestfallen and mildly heartbroken.

"He's just a baby, Lynn," Lori pointed out, "He can't be playing any sports right now. Besides, that's not the point I'm trying to get at."

"What sister point then?" Lynn asked as she rubbed one of her eyes with the palm of her hand in an attempt to wipe away a stray tear.

"Your sports stuff is either too hard or has too rough of a texture," Lori explained, "Lincoln is a baby, so he's going to like soft toys that have soft textures. Like a stuffed animal."

"Stuffed animal," Lynn repeated, sounding like she was giving the notion some serious consideration. Nodding a few times, Lynn said, "Lynn understand now. Brother no like things that hard or rough."

"Good girl," Lori remarked, "Now why don't you go play with some of your sports stuff now?" Holding up her 'school book', Lori said, "I have important first grade stuff to do."

"Lynn thank sister for sister help!" Lynn said as she got off of Lori's bed and dashed out of the bedroom as fast as her two-year-old legs could carry her, which was pretty fast for a two-year-old; Lori thought in amazement as she watched Lynn dash off that the two-year-old's early interest in sports were already showing results. Putting those thoughts aside, Lori opened her 'school book' so that she can draw a doodle of something she saw on TV.

…

The following day, Rita went to a yard sale in the neighborhood, bringing Lynn with her due to Lynn Sr. having trouble keeping up with the rambunctious two-year-old when he had four other daughters who also needed him to deal with. While at the yard sale, Lynn found something in a box that made her remember the talk she had with Lori. Lynn took this object from the box, showed it to Rita, and asked if they could get it. Mildly confused as to why her daughter would want an item like that, Rita nonetheless agreed, and bought the item for about a dollar.

To Rita's surprise, Lynn ended up giving the item to Lincoln when they got home. Lincoln squealed in delight as he gently played with his new toy, a beige-colored stuffed rabbit that wore what looked to be a purple polo shirt. "Lori say brother no like hard or rough toys," Lynn explained to her mother as she turned to face her, "Bunny no hard and no rough. Lynn thought that brother would like bunny."

"That is very considerate of you, Lynn," Rita said, "And your brother certainly does like it." Indeed, Lincoln loved the stuffed bunny that was gotten for him from the yard sale, hugging it as he giggled cutely. After a few seconds, Lincoln set the stuffed bunny down so he could crawl over to Rita and wrap his arms around her shin, hugging her as thanks for getting him the toy.

Understanding what her son was trying to convey, Rita replied, "Thank you, sweetie, but it was actually your sister Lynn who found the toy for you." Rita then gestured to Lynn, which brought the lone Loud boy's attention over to her. Looking up at his older sister, Lincoln crawled over and wrapped his arms around her legs in a hug, babbling in baby-talk the whole time.

"Yay! Brother like Lynn now!" Lynn cheered.

"He just needed time to warm up to you, Lynn," Rita remarked with a gentle smile, "He's going to like all of his sisters within good time." Lincoln stopped babbling and let go of Lynn, then looked around. Lincoln then started whining in an upset tone. Thinking and acting quickly, Lynn went over to where Lincoln left the stuffed bunny laying on the floor and picked it up, then brought it over to and handed it off to Lincoln. The only Loud boy instantly calmed down once the stuffed bunny was back in his hands.

"Lynn happy that brother like bunny," Lynn said as she ruffled the top of Lincoln's head, making him giggle cutely. Lincoln then reached towards Lynn and patted her right shin gently while talking in baby babbles in a happy tone.

* * *

Sometime later, Rita took her children to the park so that they could play outside. After setting Lincoln down in the sandbox next to Luan, the Loud matriarch walked over to a bench, sat down, and pulled a book out of her purse so she could read. Seeing that their mom was reading now, Luan turned to face her baby brother. "Get ready little brother, because your big sister Luan is going to teach you how to make a sand castle!" the three-year-old girl said as she held up a kiddie-sized pail and matching shovel.

Confused, the only Loud boy merely tilted his head to the side slightly as he looked at his older sister. As Luan started shoveling sand into the pail, Lori came walking over. "Teaching Lincoln how to make a sand castle, Luan?" Lori asked in a casual, conversational tone.

"Well Lincoln's got to know how to make sand castles in case we ever go to the beach," Luan explained as she dumped the third shovel full of sand into the pail.

Lori could not help but smile; it was small and casual, but sincere. "Well aren't you going to be big sister of the year, Luan," Lori remarked, "Just keep an eye on Lincoln. Given that he's a baby, he may try to eat some of the sand."

"Well that's one way to get your minerals, I suppose," Luan replied as she filled the pail up and proceeded to scrape off the excess sand. Right when Luan started doing this, the two Loud girls heard Lincoln giggling cutely, so they turned to face him. The only Loud boy had his entire focus on Luan as he smiled and giggled; he was even clapping his hands together.

"Huh, well how about that, Luan?" Lori said with an amused smile, "Our little brother not only understood that you had just cracked a joke, but he thought that it was funny and now he's applauding you."

"Lincoln thinks I'm funny?" Luan asked as she turned to face her older sister.

"He thinks the joke you just said was funny," Lori clarified.

"Fun-dee!" Lincoln giggled as he continued to clap his hands at Luan, "Fun-dee! Fun-dee!"

Hearing this made both Lori and Luan gasp in shock; Lincoln had just said his first word, which was 'funny'. Granted Lincoln wasn't pronouncing it correctly, but he's just a baby, so it's rather understandable that his ability to enunciate is next to non-existent.

"I'm going to go get mom!" Luan declared as she got up out of the sandbox, "She's going to want to know about this!"

Watching over her baby brother alone, Lori looked down at him and smiled. Gently ruffling the top of Lincoln's head, Lori said, "Mom is literally going to be impressed with you, Lincoln," the oldest Loud sibling remarked, "The fact that you had just said your first word, and so early, is pretty amazing." Gently booping the tip of Lincoln's nose with her right index finger, Lori said, "You're pretty amazing."

"Pre-dee!" Lincoln babbled as he waved his right hand up and down towards his oldest sister, "Pre-dee! Pre-dee!" Lori's eyes widened out of shock that Lincoln had just said his second word so quickly after his first. Before Lori could dwell on that notion, Rita came running over with Luan hot on her heels.

"Did Lincoln really just say his first word?" Rita asked, clearly excited that her baby boy just reached a milestone in his life.

"Yeah, he said the word 'funny' while clapping at Luan," Lori explained.

"Fun-dee!" Lincoln said, as if parroting Lori's speech.

Squealing in delight, Rita exclaimed, "My baby boy just said his first word! This is one of the happiest moments of my life!"

"He also learned his second word while Luan was going to get you," Lori continued.

"Lincoln learned another word?" Luan asked, looking mildly crestfallen that she had missed it.

Nodding in the affirmative, Lori said, "Yeah, he was saying the word 'pretty' while you two were coming over."

"Pre-dee!" Lincoln said as he waved his right hand up and down at Lori again.

"Well isn't this just the sweetest thing!" Rita remarked as she gently picked Lincoln up. Holding him in her arms, Rita said to her baby boy, "One of your first words, and you're using it to complement your older sister Lori. I had no idea that you'd be a gentleman so early!"

"Actually, both of his first words were kind of complements," Lori explained, "He was saying funny while clapping because Luan cracked a joke."

"Wait until your father hears about this!" Rita said, "He's going to be ecstatic that Lincoln can talk now!" To Lincoln, Rita said, "Come on, Lincoln. It's time for your bottle."

Looking down where Lori stood in the sandbox, Lincoln waved his hand at her again while saying "Pre-dee!" After that, Rita took Lincoln over to the bench she was sitting at, where she had left the bag full of the things she needed to take care of Lincoln.

With their mother out of the way, Luan turned to face Lori. "Isn't this exciting, Lori?" Luan asked, "Our little brother can talk now!"

"It was bound to happen eventually, Luan," Lori remarked casually, although she was still pretty excited that Lincoln can say words now. Lori was especially happy that one of the two words that Lincoln can say so far was 'pretty', and that he said it while waving a hand at Lori, as if he was saying that Lori was pretty. Lincoln hadn't reached his first birthday yet, and yet he was already stroking Lori's ego.

Maybe having a little brother wasn't going to be as bad as Lori first thought it was going to be.

…

Getting an idea from the experience at the park earlier, Lori decided to try and teach Lincoln a number of other words, starting with ones that girls generally like to be referred to as. "Can you say 'beautiful'?" Lori said as she was in the living room, sitting on the floor while Lincoln sat on the floor in front of her, "Come on, say 'beautiful'. 'Beautiful'." Instead of trying to say the word that Lori was trying to teach him, Lincoln merely spoke in baby-babbles.

Sighing, Lori remarked to herself, "I guess two-syllable words are Lincoln's limit for now." That sparked an idea in the six-year-old girl's mind; if Lincoln can successfully say two-syllable words, albeit while not pronouncing them properly, then maybe one-syllable words would be within Lincoln's abilities as well.

"How about 'cute'?" Lori said to her baby brother, "Can you say 'cute'? Come on, say 'cute'!" As Lori was trying to teach Lincoln a new word, Leni came walking into the living room.

"What are you doing with Lincoln?" Leni asked innocently.

"You remember what mom and dad told you, Luna and Lynn about Lincoln being able to say words now?" Lori asked, then said after Leni nodded in the affirmative, "Well, I've been trying to teach more words to Lincoln, to expand his vocabulary."

"I bet that if anyone can do it, it's you, Lori," Leni replied, "You are, like, totes smart!" To Lincoln, Leni said, "Come on, Linky, your big sister Leni wants to hear you talk! I bet that you will sound, like, totes cute!"

"Cute?" Lincoln babbled, looking up at Leni.

Gasping in shock, Leni then squealed excitedly. "Linky just said another word!"

"Cute! Cute!" Lincoln giggled while clapping his hands at Leni.

"And it's the first one that he can pronounce properly," Lori remarked in a mildly impressed tone, "Mom and dad are going to want to hear this."

Within a few minutes, the rest of the Loud family was in the living room. "Linky can say a new word now!" Leni explained as she and Lori stood in front of the rest of the Loud clan. Facing Lincoln, Leni said, "Come on, Linky, say 'cute'!"

"Cute! Cute!" Lincoln babbled while waving a hand at Leni.

"This is just amazing!" Rita exclaimed as a tear welled up in the corner of her eye, "My baby boy is picking up speech so fast!"

"So, he can say funny, pretty and cute so far," Lynn Sr. said as he listed off his son's current vocabulary, "Huh. He's only learning compliments so far." Crouching down like a frog so he could look his son in the eyes, Lynn Sr. said, "Hey sport, can you say 'handsome'?"

"Dear, that's no way to raise a kid," Rita remarked in a mildly admonishing tone, "Trying to take advantage of your son like that."

"Oh, come on, Rita," Lynn Sr. replied, "If following a pattern will help expand our son's vocabulary, then I see no harm in following said pattern." The Loud patriarch then turned back to face his son. "Come on, sport," Lynn Sr. said while he pointed at his face, "Say 'handsome'."

Shaking his head, Lincoln said, "No."

Hearing Lincoln say his fourth word, while exciting, was pretty funny, given that was saying no to Lynn Sr.'s instructions to basically call him handsome.

"Brother call dad no handsome!" Lynn giggled, "Brother funny!"

"Yeah, that's pretty funny!" Luan said as she laughed.

Hearing Luan speak, Lincoln turned to face the direction he heard her voice come from. Seeing Luan, Lincoln waved a hand at her while saying, "Fun-dee!"

"Oh, maybe I can crack a joke and get him think I'm funny," Lynn Sr. remarked. To his infant son, Lynn Sr. said, "What is a duck's favorite food? _Quackers_." Laughing a bit, Lynn Sr. said to Lincoln, "You think I'm funny, sport?"

"No," Lincoln said, shaking his head once. Hearing little Lincoln twice deny Lynn Sr. a compliment made Rita and the girls all laugh, and their laughter grew stronger when Lynn Sr. hung his head in shame.

* * *

Time passed, and birthdays came and went. Lori was now eight, Leni was seven, Luna was six, Luan was five, Lynn was four, and Lincoln was two. In the approximate two years, Lincoln's vocabulary had expanded notably; Lincoln was slightly more advanced than Lynn was back when she was his age, as he didn't refer to himself in the third person and would, for example, say to Lori 'I need your advice' rather than 'I need sister advice'. He still had trouble with some of the finer aspects of speech, though.

One day, when Rita had taken her children to the local park to play, Lori watched while Lynn played with Lincoln in the sandbox. "You ready to make another sand castle, Lincoln?" Lynn asked her little brother.

"I ready make biggest sand castle ever!" Lincoln declared, his confident tone making him sound more cute than bold. Lori thought it was adorable how her younger siblings were getting along so well. It kind of made her wish she had more.

Before Lori could think about what it would be like if her mom had brought home another little brother or sister, the oldest Loud kid was brought out of her thoughts when a young male voice called out, "Hey, aren't you Lori in my third-grade class?" Now, Lori and all of the other girls in Royal Woods Elementary School's third grade year fell into two distinct groups; girls that still thought that boys were cootie breeding farms, and girls that, having developed an interest in romance, were already scoping out the boys in their class, looking for Mr. Right. For what it's worth, Lori fell into group number two.

Having recognized the voice that had called out to her, Lori smiled as she turned to see an eight-year-old Hispanic boy come walking up to her. "Yeah, yeah, you're Lori Loud, right?" asked the Hispanic boy as he pointed to her.

"Yes, Bobby," Lori replied to the boy as she tried to calm the butterflies in her stomach, "Do you need anything?"

"I found this pen laying on the floor last week when classes ended on Friday," the Hispanic boy, apparently named Bobby, explained as he pulled out a pen from his pocket. It wasn't one of those cheap ballpoint pens, but a fancy-looking pen found in a home office or at a tall business center of some sort. A strip of tan-colored masking tape with the name 'Lori' written on it was wrapped onto the pen.

"It has your name on it, so I figured it belonged to you," Bobby explained as he handed the pen to Lori, "I tried to return it to you when I found it, but you had already left the school by then."

Lori could not believe it; the boy that she had scoped out for herself was doing something nice for her! This was literally the greatest thing ever! "Umm, thanks," Lori replied as she gently slipped the pen into a pocket on her shorts that she was wearing.

Lori was going to try and say something to Bobby, but a voice coming from her right said, "Is this friend, Lori?" Both Lori and Bobby turned to see Lincoln standing there, looking up at the two eight-year-olds.

Lori was at first annoyed that her little brother was interrupting her first time she was talking to Bobby outside of school, but she quickly changed her tone when Bobby said to the toddler, "I was just returning a pen to Lori. She's a classmate of mine at school."

"You Lori's friend, then?" Lincoln asked, tilting his head to the side slightly.

"I guess you can say that, little man," Bobby replied to the two-year-old Loud boy.

Smiling, Lincoln said, "You in school like Lori? You must be smart like Lori too!"

"Hey, thanks man," Bobby replied, giving Lincoln a thumbs-up. Turning to face Lori, Bobby asked, "I take it this is your younger brother?"

"Yeah, this is my little brother Lincoln," Lori said, "I'm sorry if him coming over was a bother."

"Oh, not at all," Bobby replied, "In fact, you seem to be pretty good with handling younger siblings."

"I have plenty of experience in that department," Lori remarked dryly.

"Maybe you can give me some pointers, then?" Bobby suggested, looking a little hopeful. Lori could not believe what she was hearing; Bobby was asking _her_ for advice? And on siblings, of all things?

"Yeah, I've got a little sister," Bobby explained to the oldest Loud girl, "She's going to be turning two sometime next week, and I have no idea what to get her as a birthday gift."

"I'd go for a doll if I were you," Lori replied, happy that her choice of the boys in her class was talking to her, "Girls love dolls, especially the younger ones."

"My little sister took the first doll she got and drove my toy army van over it repeatedly," Bobby stated, "Then she proceeded to take two of my action figures and bang them together."

"…In that case, you should try getting your little sister into sports, Bobby," Lori said instantly, "This little sister of yours sounds like she is going to grow up to act similar to my younger sister Lynn."

"So, I should get her, like, a baseball and a baseball bat?" Bobby asked.

"No baseball bat!" Lori warned in a mildly panicking tone, "If you get her a baseball bat, chances are that she'll try to hit anything and everything that she can reach with it!" Calming down a bit, Lori continued, "I recommend getting her a football. The two of you can toss it back and forth to each other, so your little sister will like it as it means she'll get to play with you."

"Wow, that sounds like a good idea!" Bobby said, "Thanks, Lori!"

"Told you Lori smart," Lincoln remarked, his validated tone sounding adorable.

* * *

It was nine years later, and all of the Loud siblings have been brought into the world. Lori, now seventeen, was sitting on her bed in her and Leni's room while Lucy, Lola, Lana, Lisa and Lily all sat on the floor, looking up at the oldest Loud sibling. All of the other Loud siblings were out at the time, leaving Lori alone with the youngest of their number. "So that basically summarizes the first few years of Lincoln's life," Lori said to the younger half of the Loud sisters as she was finishing up a story she was telling, "The end."

"I find it amazing that Lincoln's speech had started developing so early," Lisa remarked in her usual dry tone.

"Even you started talking later than Lincoln," Lori said as she pointed to the bespectacled Loud sibling, "Granted you came close to matching Lincoln's record, but he still started talking earliest out of all of our siblings."

"So that stuffed bunny of Lincoln's was found by Lynn at a yard sale," Lana remarked as she held a hand to her chin, giving herself a look of being deep in thought, "I've been wondering where that thing came from."

"Yeah, Lincoln has had it since before any of you were born," Lori replied with a nod.

"Ooh, ooh, can you tell us about what happened when I was a baby?" Lola asked.

"Well that would actually be something of a double-feature, since I'd also have to talk about Lana's baby years as well," Lori explained. With a small but kind smile, Lori said, "We should literally get some snacks first before I dive into that one."

The younger Loud sisters all cheered as they got up and followed Lori out of her and Leni's room, down into the kitchen, and proceeded to rummage around for grindage.

END

Author's Notes:

I've read a number of Loud House stories that took a shot at trying to describe the first few years of Lincoln's life, back when he was the baby of the family before he became the exact center of eleven children. This one-shot is my attempt to imagine what those early days of yesteryear were like for all of those involved. I would like to think that the job I did here was at least passable.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own 'The Loud House' or any other property in this work that I did not make myself.

A collection of Loud House one-shots

Sibling game night (Plot: The Loud siblings, minus Lily who is too young to play and Lincoln who is not feeling well, decided to have some fun after dinner one Friday night when their parents head out on a date night and leave Lori in charge.)

"Uggh," Lori Loud moaned in a tone of exasperation as she laid on her bed in her and Leni's room, "I literally have no idea what to do!" It was Friday night, and the Loud parents were going to head out for a date night, which would leave Lori in charge. Having learned a lesson from when her younger siblings usurped control from her when she was left in charge this one time, Lori decided to try and come up with a different way to run the house while she was in charge.

But the oldest Loud sibling was coming up empty.

Maybe Lori would ask her younger brother Lincoln for some ideas; the only Loud boy always had an idea or a plan, and Lori would readily admit that Lincoln was among the smartest of the Loud siblings (easily in the top four). However, Lincoln had come down with a nasty sickness of some kind, and as such was not in the best condition in the world; he even missed dinner due to not feeling well, although Lincoln didn't miss anything new.

Lori decided that she would ask Lincoln for some ideas anyway, figuring that she could do so while bringing him some medicine to help combat his illness. After donning a medical mask to keep from catching Lincoln's illness herself, Lori went down stairs, found the medicine that their mom had gotten for Lincoln, took one dose with her up the stairs along with a glass of water, and knocked on Lincoln's bedroom door, which was actually the door of a converted linin closet.

Hearing tired mumbling coming from within the room, Lori opened the door and walked in. Aside from a few used tissues laying on the floor around the waste bin, Lincoln's room was surprisingly neat and tidy. Looking over to the bed, Lori's heart broke a little when she saw how sick her little brother looked.

"Hey Lori," Lincoln greeted weakly, his ill voice making his speech sound a little slurred. Slowly trying to get out of bed, Lincoln asked, "Do you need me for something?" Lincoln would have continued trying to get up, but Lori, setting the glass of water and medicine on Lincoln's dresser, walked over to Lincoln and gently pushed down on his right shoulder, forcing him back down.

"What I need you to do is to lay back down and stay there," Lori replied in as gentle of a tone as she had ever used. When Lincoln was back to laying down in bed, Lori said, "Anyway, mom and dad are going to be heading out soon for a date night, so I'm going to be left in charge."

"I'll be down stairs standing at attention with our sisters, then," Lincoln replied as he tried once again to get up out of bed, only for Lori to gently force him back down.

"Yeah, I'm going to be excusing you from doing that," the oldest Loud sibling replied in a sympathetic tone, "Lincoln, you're literally sick as a dog. You need to stay here in bed and rest."

"Sorry," Lincoln replied with a cough, "But you usually have us-"

"-Stay in our rooms all night doing absolutely nothing, I know," Lori finished, "And that's actually part of why I'm here." Seeing the confused look on her younger brother's face, Lori explained, "I want to try and change things up a bit while I'm in charge. The time back when you and all of our sisters took control from me when mom and dad left me in charge got me thinking that there's got to be a better way I can keep everyone from literally going bonkers while still maintaining control."

Lori watched as Lincoln went over a few things in his head, trying his best to think while his sickness made the task of concentrating somewhat difficult. After about half a minute, Lincoln replied, "How about a game night?"

"Game night?" Lori repeated in a confused tone.

"Game night," Lincoln repeated, "You and our sisters can all gather in the living room and play some game together until mom and dad get back."

"But all of the board games we have aren't made with close to eleven people in mind, Lincoln," Lori pointed out, "Also, you know how Lynn gets when it comes to playing."

"How about truth or dare?" Lincoln suggested, "All you need is an empty glass bottle to spin on the floor, and it's also not about winning or losing."

"Hey, that isn't a bad idea at all," Lori replied. Ruffling the top of Lincoln's head lightly, Lori said in a gentle tone, "Thanks, Twerp." Lori had Lincoln take the medicine she had brought him before she left his room to go find a glass bottle to use for the game.

* * *

After Lynn Sr. and Rita left for their date night, and after Lily was put to bed in her crib, Lori gathered Leni, Luna, Luan, Lynn, Lucy, Lola, Lana, and Lisa in the living room. "Now girls," Lori began, "I suppose you know why I've gathered all of you here."

"We all know the answer to that one, mate," Luna remarked as a hint of the British accent she constantly works on slipped into her tone, "What I'd like to know is why you aren't in your drill sergeant get-up, not to mention why you don't have Lincoln and Lily standing at attention with the rest of us."

"I put Lily to bed early, given that she's only a baby," Lori explained, "And as we all know, Lincoln is really under the weather, so I excused him."

"Then what about the time you had Leni stand at attention when she had a bad fever?" Lynn asked as she regarded her oldest sister with a suspicious glare, "Or the time you had me stand at attention when I had a sprained ankle?"

Sighing in a resigned tone, Lori replied, "Look, girls. The time you all and Lincoln tied me up and took control made me realize that, although maintaining control over all of you was a good idea, the way I was going about doing so wasn't as smart. Therefore, I've decided to try and mix things up a bit." Pulling an empty glass soda bottle out from behind her person, Lori said, "And this will be helping us."

"How is that going to help?" Lana asked, regarding the empty glass bottle with a look of confusion.

"We're going to be having a sibling game night," Lori explained, "And the game of choice will be truth or dare. We'll all sit in a circle in the living room, with this bottle laying on the floor in the center of the circle, and we'll take turns spinning in, going from oldest to youngest. I assume you all know what will happen when you spin the bottle and it points to someone, right?"

"You ask them truth or dare?" Lola guessed, drawing a nod of confirmation from Lori.

"The rest should be pretty self-explanatory," Lori remarked, "Now let's clear some space in the living room so we can get started." Surprisingly, this got a lot of agreement out of Lori's younger sisters, with Luna and Lynn even heading out to the living room to shove the sofa up against a wall while Luan went to drag the coffee table off to one side of the living room. " _This is going better than I thought it would_ ," Lori thought in amazement as she watched her younger siblings work together, " _I need to remember to thank Lincoln later_."

* * *

With enough space cleared in the living room, the Loud siblings, minus Lincoln and Lily, all sat in a circle. Setting the glass soda bottle on its side in the center of the circle, Lori said, "Since I'm the oldest, I'll go first." Spinning the bottle, the girls all watched as it continued to spin for a few seconds. Eventually, it slowed down and stopped, pointing to Leni. Facing the fashionable Loud sibling, Lori said, "Okay, Leni, truth or dare?"

"Mmm…" Leni replied as she gave the offer a brief moment of consideration, "…How about dare?"

With something of a mischievous smile, Lori said, "Alright. Wait here, I'll need to grab something from the kitchen first." The others watched as Lori got up and walked into the kitchen. After close to two minutes, Lori came back, carrying a small plate that had a sandwich sitting on it; the sandwich was cut in half vertically. "Leni, I dare you to eat at least one of the halves of this peanut butter and sauerkraut sandwich," Lori said as she handed the plate over to Leni. When the rest of the girls all heard what kind of sandwich it was, most of them gasped, Leni especially.

"Lori, that's pretty harsh," Lola remarked in a tone of disgust, "You know that only Lincoln's willing to eat one of those!"

"It's where I got the idea from," Lori replied, "Besides, that's how the dare part of truth or dare is supposed to work. And Leni only has to eat one of the halves."

With some trepidation, Leni gingerly took one of the sandwich halves, brought it to her mouth, and took a bite. After tasting it, Leni wore a look of mild surprise on her face. "Hey," Leni said after swallowing her mouthful of sandwich, "This, like, isn't all that bad."

"…What?" Lori replied in a deadpan, not believing what she was hearing. The other sisters were likewise surprised.

"Now I see why Linky likes eating these," Leni remarked as she took another bite out of her sandwich half.

Shrugging, Lana said, "Oh, what the heck. Let me try the other half." Leni gently handed the other half of the peanut butter and sauerkraut sandwich, still on the plate, over to Lana, who took the sandwich half and took a bite out of it. As she chewed, a look of mild surprise came over her face as well. "…Not bad," Lana replied after swallowing, "Not bad at all. I guess I owe Lincoln an apology."

"You two are gross!" Lola exclaimed as she pointed to Leni and Lana.

"Uhh, you do know I consider being called gross a compliment, right?" Lana replied to her younger twin sister, who merely scoffed in response.

"Whatever," Lori said. Turning to face Leni, who had just finished her sandwich half, Lori said, "Okay, Leni. Since you're the second oldest, you go next."

"Got it," Leni replied as she reached out to spin the bottle. After a few seconds, the bottle stopped, pointing at Lynn. "Okay, Lynn," Leni began, "Like, truth or dare?"

"Truth," Lynn replied.

"Okay so, like, I wanna know how that chocolate that Ulfric got you was like," Leni replied.

"What?!" Lynn exclaimed instantly, embarrassed blushing appearing on her face.

"Lynn, you know that in this house hold, chocolate is serious business," Lori replied, "Besides, Leni has a point. I didn't recognize any of the chocolate bars that Ulfric got you, and you didn't share any of it with me or any of the other girls." Leaning forward somewhat, Lori said, "You picked truth, and Leni asked you about that chocolate. So, come on, tell us."

With all eyes on her, Lynn replied, "Okay, okay." Inhaling and exhaling, Lynn said, "It was some fancy chocolate from Sweden that I didn't recognize. But _oh man_ , _that was the best chocolate that I ever tasted in my entire life_!" The dreamy expression on Lynn's face changed when she saw the mildly annoyed looks on the faces of her sisters. "Heh, sorry," Lynn replied.

"Just be sure to share any fancy Swedish chocolate you get from Ulfric in the future, alright gov?" Luna replied with a hint of her British accent seeping into her tone.

"Okay girls, let's continue," Lori remarked. Pointing to Luna, Lori said, "It's your turn to spin the bottle."

"Got it, sis," Luna replied as she reached forward to spin the bottle. After a few seconds, the bottle stopped spinning, pointing at Luan. "Okay, Luan," Luna began, "Truth or dare?"

"Dare," Luan replied, giving Luan her best game face.

"I like your attitude," Luna remarked, praising her younger sister's confidence, "Okay, Luan. I dare you to-"

Luna was cut off when the sound of someone throwing up came from the second floor. "Oh geez, that can't be good," Lori said as she got up to run upstairs to check on the only Loud brother. After a few seconds, Lori loudly remarked, "Yeesh! Geez, Lincoln, maybe it was a good thing you missed dinner. This mess you made would have been bigger otherwise."

A few seconds later, Lori came back down to the first floor and said, "In case any of you are really oblivious, Lincoln literally just threw up in the second-floor hallway."

"Hey Luan," Luna said as she got her comedic sister's attention, "I dare you to go upstairs and clean up Lincoln's puke."

"Really?" Luan replied, giving her older sister a mildly disgusted look.

"It's got to be done," Luna said with a shrug, "Besides, the original dare I had in mind wasn't really all that much of a dare. This, however, will have some more impact." Sighing, Luan agreed to head upstairs to clean up Lincoln's throw up. Leni handed Luan a medical mask while Lori supplied her with some cleaning supplies. After a few minutes, the dare was done, and the Loud girls who were playing the game were all back down in the living room.

"Okay Luan, it's your turn now," Lori said as she pointed to her younger sister.

"Right," Luan replied as she reached forward to spin the bottle. It stopped after spinning for a few seconds, pointing at Lisa. "Okay Lisa," Luan began, "Truth or dare?"

"Seeing as how we had a dare first, followed by someone telling the truth, followed by another dare, I would normally pick truth in order to maintain the pattern," Lisa remarked, "But I shall be picking dare instead, as this is supposed to be a game night and the purpose of such a night is to have fun. What better way to have fun than to mix things up?"

"Well how about that?" Lynn remarked in a mildly impressed tone, "Little miss science wants to have fun."

"Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit, Lynn, and it is unbecoming of you," Lisa remarked in her usual dry tone.

"Forget about that, Lisa," Luan said, "And get ready. I dare you to…tell a joke."

"…I beg your pardon?" the four-year-old genius replied in a deadpan.

"I dare you to tell a joke," Luan replied, "I wanna see what kind of a sense of humor you have."

"Oh ho, this ought to be good," Luna said as she and the others put all of their focus on the youngest of their circle.

"Hmm…" Lisa hummed as she gave Luan's dare some consideration, "…Normally I would not be one for telling jokes, but seeing as how I'm being put on the spot here, I do remember this time from a few days ago, where one of the students at the college I teach classes at told his friends this joke that got all of them laughing. I remember the joke, so if I may, I would like to retell that joke here."

"Go on," Luan replied as she urged Lisa on.

"Alright then," Lisa said, "Here I go. What are usually a redneck's last words? _Here_ , _watch this_."

Surprisingly, most of the girls that were present laughed at the joke; only Lisa and Lola did not laugh. "I fail to see why this joke is considered so funny," Lisa said in her usual dry monotone.

"Yeah, I don't get it either," Lola remarked, "And what's a redneck?"

"I'll have to show you one of my blue-collar DVDs later," Luan replied to her pageant winning younger sister, trying to settle down from her laughing.

"Okay Lynn, it's your turn," Lori said as she gestured to the sporty Loud sibling, the laughter having died down.

"Got it," Lynn said as she reached forward to spin the bottle. After a few seconds of spinning, the bottle stopped while pointing at Lucy. "Okay, miss doom and gloom," Lynn began, "Truth or dare?"

"Truth," Lucy replied instantly, "The spirits tell me that it's my safest bet."

"We'll see about that, sis," Lynn replied as she got up, "Wait here. I need to go get something." Lynn walked up the stairs to the second floor, and came back down about half a minute later. Sitting back down in her original place in the sister circle, Lynn tossed something into the middle of the circle, which was a DM book for a tabletop RGP game. Seeing this got the attention of the other sisters, Lucy especially.

"When I was cleaning up our room earlier in an attempt to find my soccer ball," Lynn began, "I picked up one of your vampire books that was laying on the floor. When I picked the book up, I found this laying under it." Giving the dark Loud sibling a curious look, Lynn continued, "Care to explain?"

"You girls all know how me, Rocky, and a few friends of ours get together on the regular basis to play games?" Lucy asked her siblings. After the other sisters nodded in the affirmative, Lucy gestured to the DM book Lynn found while saying, "This is what we play."

"Umm…wow," Lori remarked in a genuinely surprised tone, "I would not expect a bunch of eight-year-olds to play a game like this."

"I'm actually the Dungeon Master of our gaming group," Lucy explained, "I was elected to the position because Rocky and the others all said that I'm really great at telling stories. Now then, can I get my book back and take my turn?"

"By all means," Lori replied as she gestured to the bottle. Reaching forward, Lucy spun the bottle while collecting her DM book for the tabletop game. After a few seconds, the bottle stopped while pointing at Lori.

"Okay Lori," Lucy began, "Truth or dare?"

"Truth," Lori replied, a calm yet confident look on her seventeen-year-old face.

"Okay, this is something that has been bothering me for a while," Lucy began, "Why did you sabotage Leni one time when she was getting ready for one of her many attempts to get her driver's license?" When Lucy asked this, most of the other sisters all gasped in shock, before they all turned to look at Lori suspiciously.

"So _that_ ' _s_ why Lincoln failed to get Leni to pass that driving test!" Lola exclaimed.

"Yeah, and I still didn't get that dress!" Leni added.

Sighing, Lori said, "I'm going to be honest with you girls here. I really like how you girls and Lincoln need me to take you places because it makes me feel needed, and I like feeling needed. I'm afraid that if one of us other than myself can drive, then you girls and Lincoln will no longer need me, and thus stop associating yourselves with me altogether. If that ended up happening, I wouldn't know what to do."

The other siblings who were present all regarded the oldest of their number in sympathetic looks on their faces. "Lori, you think that we'd no longer want to associate you? That we'd no longer need you?" Lynn replied, her tone carrying a mild hint of heartbreak, "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. There's no way that would ever happen."

"She's right, sis," Luna added, "You're our sister, and we will always want you around, no matter what. Although now that the subject's been brought up, I've got to know. If that was your reason for trying to keep the keys to yourself, then why did you force us to do chores for you?"

"I couldn't afford to look weak," Lori answered instantly.

"Heh," Lynn chuckled, "Classic Lori." Getting up, Lynn walked over to Lori and brought her into a hug while saying, "Come here, you." This act on Lynn's part prompted the other girls to join in, making it a group hug.

"Thanks, girls," Lori remarked. After the group hug broke up, Lori said, "Well then, it's Lana's turn to spin the bottle."

"Older twin status for the win!" Lana cheered as she spun the glass bottle. After a few seconds, the glass bottle stopped spinning, pointing at Lola. "Sweet!" Lana cheered, "Okay sis, truth or dare?"

"As much as I'll probably regret this, dare," Lola replied with a look of uncertainty on her face.

"Well alright, Lola!" Lana exclaimed, "And boy, do I have a good one for you! Lola, I dare you to go outside and play in the mud without changing out of your current dress!"

Gasping in a tone of utter shock, Lola nearly exclaimed, "Are you nuts?! This is my signature pageant dress! I can't afford to get mud on it!"

"Too bad, Lola," Lori remarked, "It's the rules of the game. Now go outside and play in the mud."

Growling in an annoyed tone, Lola marched over to the front door, opened it, and went into the front yard. The other Loud sisters who were playing the game looked through the window to see Lola hop into a mud puddle, sit down, grab a handful of mud in each hand, and slap both handfuls onto her face, smearing it around a bit. After that, Lola got up and marched back into the house. "There, happy?" Lola asked, very much peeved.

"Yes, yes, this is good," Lana remarked with a mischievous smile.

"Okay Lola," Lori said, "It's your turn. We'll wait if you want to get cleaned up first."

"It'll take too long," Lola replied in a resigned tone, "The game will be over by the time I'm done cleaning myself up." The girls reformed the circle they were in, then Lola reached forward to spin the bottle. To Lola's mischievous delight, the bottle stopped while pointing at Lana.

"Okay, Lana," Lola said, "Truth or dare?"

"Dare," Lana replied as she crossed her arms, a confident look on her face. This gave Lola a moment of pause; there's no way any of the usual dares she would come up with for her other sisters would be met with objection from Lana, as the girl actually _likes_ gross stuff (Lola has asked Lisa no less than fifty times to run DNA tests to see if Lana really is related to them), and Lola can't go too far in her dare to Lana either.

…Well, too far in the _gross_ department.

With a smirk, Lola said in a sweet tone, "Okay, Lana. I dare you to…" Changing to a neutral yet accusing tone, Lola continued, "…Put on one of my pageant dresses-and it has to be one of my _clean_ dresses-and keep it on until the game's over."

Gasping as if she had just been ordered to euthanize one of her many animals, Lana said, "Are you for real?!"

"You're lucky I'm not making you wear one of my tiaras as well," Lola replied, "Although that's because some of them are rather nice and I'd rather not risk getting your gross germs on them. I can simply take my dresses to get cleaned."

Scoffing in an annoyed tone, Lana said, "Fine. It's not like I haven't worn one before."

Lana went upstairs to her and Lola's room, and came back down a few minutes later wearing a pageant dress that, aside from being blue in color, looked exactly like Lola's usual dress.

"You look like a princess," Lola said in a mock-sincere tone.

Growling at her twin sister first, Lana turned to face Lisa. "You're the last to go, Lisa," Lana remarked, "Just take your turn already."

"Of course," Lisa said as she reached forward to spin the bottle. It spun for a few seconds before it stopped, pointing at Luna. "Well then Luna," Lisa said, "Truth or dare?"

"Truth," Luna replied, "We've had too many dares tonight."

"Fair enough," said the bespectacled genius with a nod of understanding, "But before I ask my question, I want the rest of us here to, in the interest of your protection, swear an oath to not tell mom and dad if your answer to my question ends up being yes." Casting a quick glace to Lola, Lisa added, "I would not any of my siblings to get into any trouble with our parents."

With Lori leading the others, all of the other siblings who were present swore the oath that Lisa requested, with Lori even saying that she'll get Lincoln to swear the same oath later if necessary. Satisfied, Lisa said, "Thank you." Turning to face Luna, Lisa said, "Now then Luna, the only reason I'm asking this is because it's a common occurrence among people in your chosen clique." Clearing her throat, Lisa asked, "Have you ever consumed any…adult drinks before?"

"Yeesh, now I see why Lisa had all of us swear that oath," Lori remarked. Turning to face Luna, Lori said, "Well Luna, you have to tell the truth. And remember that we all swore we'd keep the answer a secret."

Nodding in understanding, Luna said, "Yeah, I've had three beers before with Chunk and some of the boys at the music club, not to mention one with Sam and one with my friend from California. That's about it, though."

Hearing their parents pull into the driveway, Lori stood up and said, "Well girls, I think that about does it. I think that tonight went pretty great. Wanna try this again next time?"

"Why not?" Leni remarked, "This was, like, totes fun! And hey, maybe Linky will be able to join us next time!"

"I have the perfect question in mind to ask him if he picks truth," Lola said with a mischievous look on her face as she rubbed the palms of her hands together.

"I got the perfect dare in mind for him if he picks dare," Lana said, wearing the same kind of smile as her twin while rubbing the palms of her hands together in a likewise manner.

"No asking Lincoln who his favorite sister is, and no daring him to try to fix the furnace," Lori instructed as she pointed at the twins.

Snapping her fingers, Lola said, "Dang it."

"I was going to dare him to make me a peanut butter and sauerkraut sandwich," Lana remarked as she gave her oldest sister a confused look, "They're actually pretty good. Besides, why would I dare Lincoln to try to fix the furnace? That's something I'd want to do myself."

Sighing, Lori pinched the bridge of her nose while closing her eyes. "Of course, it is."

* * *

The following morning, Lincoln was in the kitchen, getting a bowl of cereal for breakfast. Although he was feeling somewhat better, Lincoln was still plenty sick; he was intending on heading straight back up to bed after he ate. When Lincoln sat down at the table, Lori walked into the kitchen. "Hey, Twerp," Lori greeted in a casual, friendly tone, "Are you feeling any better?"

"A little," Lincoln replied, "Although I'm planning on heading back to bed when I'm done eating."

"Fair enough," Lori said as she sat down at the table herself after getting a mug of coffee.

"So, how did the game night with our sisters go last night?" Lincoln asked as Lori took a sip of her coffee.

"We actually had quite a lot of fun playing truth or dare," Lori remarked as she sat her mug down, "And we're considering doing it again the next time mom and dad have a date night and leave me in charge. Leni even says she's looking forward to you participating." Reaching forward to ruffle the top of Lincoln's head, Lori said, "Thanks again for suggesting a game night, Lincoln. You really do have something of a knack for plans and ideas."

With a tired yet sincere smile, Lincoln replied, "You're welcome, Lori." After finishing his bowl of cereal, Lincoln put his dishes in the sink while saying, "So Lori, what are the highlights from last night?"

With an amused smile, Lori began, "Well Lincoln, the first thing is that Leni and Lana both like peanut butter and sauerkraut sandwiches now…"

END

Author's Notes:

I'd say that this one contains a lot of references to episodes of the series proper. I've also been wanting to try and improve the relationship between Lincoln and Lori, seeing as how Lori is arguably one of the meanest sister towards Lincoln. I would like to believe that I've improved that relationship with this one-shot. Also, the plot of this one-shot has previously been adapted into the events of 'Restored Image'; this is the plot in its original form. Anywho, the next one-shot will be another whole episode flashback type deal.

For those who may object to Lori referring to Lincoln as 'Twerp', I presented it here as something of an insult of endearment, similar to how I'd portray Ronnie Anne referring to Lincoln as 'Lame-o'. If I was going to protray someone as really being mean to Lincoln, it'd be more obvious. Also, this one-shot, the first two, and a few others after this have been finished...sometime before I got the first chapter of 'Broken Mirror' up, actually. The reason why I haven't gotten them up yet is because I was occupied doing other things. Now that I have a lot of time on my hands, I'm going to try and get up some of the writing that I've finished.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own 'The Loud House' or any other property in this work that I did not make myself.

A collection of Loud House one-shots

Albert's past (Plot: Albert is a man who has many titles, some of which he wears with pride. He also has quite the past to talk about. And if you're willing to lend an ear, Albert will be more than glad to regale you with tales of his past.)

Albert leaned back in his recliner, relaxing after having come home from work. A man who couldn't be any more than in his forties, Albert had all that any man could want in life, and in some cases more than most. He was a solider, having served in a recent war, and after returning home to the states, Albert was able to get a secure job that paid reasonably well. He also had a daughter that-

"Hey, dad," the voice of a teenage girl called out, prompting Albert to look over and see his teenage daughter Rita heading to the front door.

"It's a bit late to be heading out, don't you think?" Albert asked, no hint of strictness in his tone, just curiosity, "I mean, where are you going?"

"I have to go pick up a few things that my friends and I need for a group project at school," Rita explained, a hint of exasperation in her tone, "They were supposed to cover getting those things, but none of them can buy anything right now."

"Well that's a darn shame," Albert replied, feeling sorry for the position his teenage daughter was in, "You aren't going to be out for long though, right Rita?"

"I'll be fine, dad," Rita assured her father, "I highly doubt I'll be out for any more than an hour."

"Sorry, sweetie," Albert remarked, "I just don't want to have to worry about you is all."

"No need to apologize, dad," Rita said, "And thanks for looking out for me." Albert gave his teenage daughter one last nod of understanding before she was out the door to go buy the supplies that she and her friends at school needed for that project. After the door closed, Albert turned back around to face the TV. As he watched a commercial, the solider let out a sigh that sounded with a mix that was at least eighty percent resigned, with the remaining percentage being the unmistakable sound of heartbreak. As a father, Albert could not help but fret over his daughter Rita.

Not after having lost his wife a while ago.

* * *

The following day, Albert was hanging out at the local bar, grabbing a beer or two with a few friends of his, all of them buddies of his from the war. The group consisted of five men, counting Albert, and one woman. Three of the men were unable to drink anymore after three to four beers, and one had passed out and was currently laying face-down on the table at which he and everyone else sat (he only had two beers). The lone woman of the group had five beers so far and wasn't even close to her limit unlike the three finished men and the one who was passed out.

Albert, being a man of moderation, had just finished one beer and was contemplating a second, although he figured that he shouldn't given that he has to drive.

"HAHAHAHAHA!" the lone woman of the group laughed in a tone of good cheer, "If some of the other men on base hear talk that you all are losing to a woman when it comes to drinking, they'll never let you hear the end of it!" The woman's accent brought to mind proud and mighty warriors from a northern land of snow and cold, further highlighted by her long blonde hair, allowed to hang loose.

The woman wore a simple long-sleeved green dress under a dark reddish garment that was a tank top until you reached the waist, at which point there were flaps of cloth that reached about halfway down the shins, with one covering the front of the woman's outfit and the other covering the back. There were also arm warmers, same color as the garment over the dress, that covered the woman's biceps. Lastly, there was a brown leather belt worn around the waist, with excess length trailing down the woman's front, ending about an inch past the end of the red garment.

"Well Sejuani," Albert replied to the lone woman of the group, "I don't think that's going to be a problem, given that most of the guys on base know you once drank a general under the table. While he was visiting the base, no less."

"True, that general was not able to best me in the game of drink," the woman, identified as Sejuani, remarked casually, "Hel, I bet that either of my nieces, Ashe and Avarosa, could have challenged him and won." After draining at least half of a sixth beer, Sejuani continued, "But if there is one thing that I have to give him credit for, it's that he's proven himself to be a very capable warrior. After all, you have to be like that if you're to lead others into battle!"

"I suppose," Albert said as he watched his female friend finish the last of her sixth beer. It never ceased to amaze him that anyone can drink like that and still not get drunk. At most, the woman solider was probably only mildly buzzed. As he looked around the bar, Albert saw the time on a wall mounted clock. "Oh shoot," Albert said as he saw the time, "It's getting a bit late." To the other sober members of the group, Albert said, "We ought to drive everyone else home."

"These idiots here," the only other sober man of the group said as he jerked a thumb at the men who were drunk, "Were supposed to be designated drivers."

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Albert said as he sighed in frustration, "Of course, they were."

* * *

Albert wasn't sure about this Lynn boy who caught Rita's eye one day. Albert's daughter was working her crossing guard job one day, sometime after she finished her education. Then some jogging boy speaking in a practiced British accent (Albert had been to England once so he knows what a real British accent sounds like) comes along, flirts with Rita, and before Albert knew what was happening, his daughter was like 'Lynn this' and 'Lynn that'.

Albert wondered if Sejuani's niece Ashe was like this when she met that Shigure boy from Japan.

One day, Albert decided that if his daughter was going to be dating this Lynn fellow, then he better meet the young man. The solider wanted to make sure that Lynn would do right by Rita. And the only way to make sure of that was to have Rita invite Lynn over for dinner one night. "Really, dad?" Rita asked in a pleasantly surprised tone, "You want Lynn to come over and have dinner with us?"

"Well why not?" Albert replied, "I figured that I should get to know him, since he and you have been spending so much time together." Rita squealed in excitement, just before she proceeded to go on about how Lynn was apparently really great at cooking, and might even bring something over to dinner if he's given enough heads up. Albert, more to humor his daughter than out of any courtesy for this Lynn boy, gave Rita the thumbs-up to go ahead with that.

That Friday night, Rita brought Lynn over for dinner; true to Rita's word, Lynn had prepared something ahead of time to contribute to dinner. "Fish fry?" Albert said, more curious than suspicious, when Lynn opened the dish be brought to reveal what he had cooked up for dinner.

"I always do fish fry on Fridays," Lynn explained, "I'm the kind of guy who likes to plan things out ahead of time. Helps to keep me organized."

"I see," Albert replied. If there was something Albert could say about this Lynn boy, it's that he doesn't just 'let things happen', or whatever you want to call it. After everything was served, dinner was able to commence. Albert, with a bit of trepidation, took a bite of his serving of fish fry. After tasting it, Albert only had one thing to say, in a tone of quiet, surprised amazement.

"…Not bad."

* * *

Time passes, and after Lynn and Rita were together for a while, something that Albert was worried about happening ended up happening; Lynn proposing to Rita and her accepting the proposal. Albert fretted over the idea of having to give his daughter away on her wedding day; although that is the prerogative of the father of the bride, if you think about it. Still, if Lynn made Rita happy, then Albert wasn't about to object to the two of them getting together. At least Lynn had proven himself to he a respectable and down to earth individual.

Although if Lynn ended up breaking Rita's heart, then Albert would break Lynn's legs.

As the guests invited to the wedding watched the limo take the newly wedded couple of to their honeymoon, Albert felt a single, stray tear fall down the side of his face. His little girl was no longer a girl, but a woman now. Oh, how Albert wished his wife had lived to see this day; Rita undoubtedly also wished that the woman who brought her into this world was also alive to see her get married.

"Tis a special occasion, Albert," Sejuani's familiar voice spoke up, prompting Albert to turn around and see Sejuani and all of their war buddies standing behind him. With her left hand on her waist, Sejuani continued as she gestured to Albert with her right hand, "I bet that it was rather hard for you, having to give your daughter away on her wedding day today."

"…One of the hardest moments of my life, if I'm to be honest," Albert replied.

"Don't worry, Albert," said his friend that was the only one from that one night at the bar who was the only other guy to not get drunk, "Your daughter's going to be alright. She's got herself a good man as her husband now."

"…Yeah, Bruce," Albert agreed, "Yeah, that Lynn fellow is a good young man."

"And now he has a father-in-law who will set him straight if he tries anything funny," replied the friend who was identified as Bruce.

"Heh, yeah," Albert said, a good amount of good humor in his tone. After all other business was taken care of at the church, Albert and his war buddies proceeded to make their way to the bar, to drink a toast or several to celebrate the newlyweds.

Albert decided that now might be a reasonable time to get drunk.

* * *

Albert wasn't too entirely sure about the first house that Rita bought with Lynn; it seemed to be something of a fixer-upper to the now retired solider. Still, if it was a good enough roof to keep Albert's daughter, her husband, and their daughters Lori, Leni, Luna and Luan covered, then Albert wasn't going to complain. …Too much.

"When are mommy and daddy coming back from the horse pistol?" three-year-old Leni asked, unable to bear the wait any longer, "I wanna see my new baby sibling!"

"Now Leni," Albert began, "You've got to relax. Your mother and father will be home soon enough with the newest addition to this family." Gently ruffling the three-year-old's head, Albert continued, "Besides which, this is the fifth time your mother's bringing a kid into this world. I'm certain that with all of that experience, your mother will get home before you know it."

Leni nodded in agreement with her grandfather, before she got up onto the sofa and tried to sit in his lap. Chuckling in mild amusement, Albert decided to help his granddaughter along, picking her up by her armpits and setting her down on his lap. "Hey Pop-Pop," Leni began in her same excited tone, "Do you think that mommy and daddy are going to bring home a boy or a girl?"

"I'm guessing that we're getting another sister," four-year-old Lori remarked, getting both Albert and Leni to turn to face her, "I mean, first there was me, then you Leni, then Luna, then Luan. It seems that with four girls in a row, the odds that our next sibling is going to be another girl is pretty high."

"Now don't go selling it just yet," Albert advised his oldest grandchild, "It's always a fifty-fifty chance. You have no way of knowing if your parents will bring home a boy this time."

"Do boys like dressing up, Pop-Pop?" Leni asked, "Or playing with dolls? Or trying to use make-up?"

"Umm, not…generally," Albert replied in a mildly unsure tone, "But I'm pretty sure that if you girls all end up getting a brother, then he'll have to get used to stuff like that."

Leni was about to ask something else, but before she could get a word out, the front door opened, and in walked Lynn and Rita, the latter carrying a baby wrapped in a blanket. Judging by the fact that the blanket in question was pink, Albert was figuring that he was looking at granddaughter number five. "Girls," Lynn said to his four oldest kids, all of which were present in the living room, "Say hello to your newest sister Lynn Jr.!"

"You named your newest daughter after yourself?" Albert said, giving the Loud family patriarch a confused look.

"Well why not, dad?" Rita remarked, "Lynn is a name that can be given to both boys and girls."

"Well yeah, I know that," Albert replied, "It's just that I figured that you could have come up with a name that was more designated to girls. Like Lucy or Lana or Lola or Lisa or even Lily."

"Those…all start with L," Rita remarked, a bit on the confused side.

"As does Lori, Leni, Luna, Luan and now Lynn," Albert retorted with something of a dry look on his face, "I assumed that you and your husband were going for something of a theme when it came to naming your kids."

"…Huh, well how about that," remarked the Loud patriarch, now known as Lynn Sr., "You raised an excellent point, Albert. Not to mention the fact that you pointed out something that I didn't even realize Rita and I were doing."

"Yeah, I was completely unaware we were doing that," Rita said, a hint of amazement in her tone, "I guess this is something we'll continue if we end up having more kids." Trying to hand her newborn daughter Lynn off to Albert, Rita said, "I don't suppose you want to hold your newest grandchild, dad?" Albert smiled, and simply nodded in agreement as he received little Lynn from her mother. Looking down into the bundle, the retired solider saw the tiny little face of his tiny little granddaughter.

It was a moment that filled Albert's heart with joy.

* * *

"I'm telling ya, Albert," Lynn Sr. began in something of a drunken slur; on a rare occasion, Albert brought the Loud patriarch with him to go drinking with the usual guys, Albert's war buddies. Like everyone in the group aside from Albert, Sejuani and Bruce, Lynn Sr. got pretty wasted, and pretty quick. At least he's doing somewhat better than the one guy who was flat-out drunk that one time.

"One of thesh dahs, I'm going to have mah own reshtaurant," Lynn Sr. remarked, "And ish going ta be the besht reshtaurant in all ah Royal Woodsh."

"You don't say, Lynn," Albert remarked as he took mental notes of how all of his war buddies were finding how the drunken Loud family patriarch was acting; Bruce was respectfully keeping his mouth shut, the other four guys were just as drunk if not drunker than Lynn Sr., and Sejuani, who had drunk at least as much as Lynn Sr. but without so much as developing a buzz, was pointing at the drunken Loud man while laughing hysterically, clearly finding amusement in the drunken ramblings of Albert's son-in-law.

"And it'll be a fahmily bishnesh," Lynn Sr. continued to slur, "Which I'll leave to mah son when hesh old enough to take over fah me."

"You…don't have a son, Lynn," Albert pointed out.

"Well there'sh one way ta fix that," Lynn Sr. said drunkenly, "Ah hope that Rita'sh wanting to fell the Lynn-shanity tonight!"

"…Wait until you're sober," Albert said, a clearly unamused look on his face. It wasn't helping the retired solider that his only female war buddy, who was currently laughing her read end off, was now laughing even harder after having heard what Lynn Sr. just said.

* * *

Quite a bit of time has passed, and now Albert was waiting to meet a new grandchild for the sixth time. It was quite a bit of a wait for the older man, although the rambunctiousness of his five granddaughters was enough (more than enough, really) to keep his mind off of the wait. Even Lynn, the youngest of the five Loud girls, was quite adept at keeping things active; when he first held her, Albert was worried that something might hurt of harm his granddaughter Lynn. Now he was worried that Lynn might do that to something or someone else.

"I'm calling it right now," Lori said to her younger sisters in a tone that suggested that Lori believed herself to be right, "We'll be getting a sister again."

"It'd be nice if we finally got a brother, though," Luan remarked, "I mean, just imagine how having a brother would shake things up around here!"

"We can play dress up with a brother," Leni began in an excited tone, "And let him play with our dolls, and try to put make up onto-" Leni was cut off when the front door opened. Walking into the house was Rita and Lynn Sr., carrying in a new child for the sixth time. To the piqued interest of Albert, the baby was wrapped up in an orange blanket.

"Yeah, the hospital gave us this orange blanket to wrap Lincoln up in," Rita remarked when Albert expressed his confusion upon seeing the blanket's color.

"…You named me and the girls' newest sister Lincoln?" Luan asked her mother in a confused tone as she looked up at her.

With a bit of a chuckle, Rita said, "No, sweetie. Lincoln's a boy."

"We have a brother now?!" Leni nearly exclaimed, the volume of her tone making Rita, Lynn Sr. and Albert all wince. All at once, the Loud girls all swarmed their mother, wanting to get a look at little Lincoln.

"This…this is a boy?" Lori said in confusion as Rita lowered Lincoln down so the girls could see him. Being used to nothing but sisters, and with being a girl herself, Lori was not quite sure what to make of the orange-swathed boy before her.

Lifting the bundle back up, Rita turned to face Albert. "You want to hold Lincoln, dad?" Rita asked, "I kind of want to get a picture of it for the scrapbook."

"Heh," the retired solider said with a laugh, "I was wondering when I'd get to hold a grandson." Gently, Rita handed the bundle over to her father. Little Lincoln had squirmed a bit during the transfer, but stopped instantly when he was in Albert's arms, being as calm as he was when his mother held him.

As Rita went about finding a camera to take a picture, Lynn Sr. remarked with a hint of envy in his tone, "You know, Albert, the only time I ever held Lincoln, he was fussy the whole time, and only calmed down when I handed him back over to Rita. This is your first time holding him, yet Lincoln isn't acting up at all."

"You just have to give your boy some time," Albert advised the Loud patriarch as he looked over to face him, "I mean, he's barely just been born, for crying out loud." As Lynn Sr. nodded in an agreeing manner, Albert turned his attention back to face the little bundle of joy that he was holding in his arms. To Albert's mild amusement, he saw that his grandson had a little tuft of white hair on his head.

" _Heh_ ," Albert thought as he continued to hold Lincoln, " _Just like me_ , _ehh_?"

* * *

It was present day now, and Albert was having a drink or to with his war buddy Bruce. As time had gone on, Sejuani moved away, and two of the guys had unfortunately passed away, one from a very strong allergic reaction to something he didn't know contained what he was allergic to, and the other when he was at a convenience store that was in the middle of being robbed by an armed gunman. The other two guys are still alive, but one was visiting relatives and the other was in the hospital due to suffering a fracture in his left shin. This left Albert and Bruce as the only ones able to meet up to reminisce and trade tales.

"You have _how_ many grandchildren now, Albert?" Bruce asked, looking shocked and as if someone had just told some outlandish tale to him.

"I have eleven grandchildren, Bruce," Albert replied, "One boy and ten girls."

"Sounds like a bunch that you wouldn't trade for the world," Bruce remarked before taking a swig from his mug of beer.

"Yeah, every last one of them means everything to me," Albert said.

"You know, Albert," Bruce began, "From what I remember hearing, Sejuani said that she has four grandnieces and four grandnephews, for a total of eight." Before taking another swig, Bruce added, "That's almost as big of a bunch as your own, don't you think?"

"Heh, yeah," Albert replied in an agreeing manner before he took a swig from his own beer.

END

Author's notes:

...I'm not so sure if there are a lot of stories out there that revolve around Albert (AKA Pop-Pop), so I did this one-shot as something of a tribute to the guy. I think that he deserves more time in the spotlight that what he's been given so far.

But anywho, yeah. The next one-shot should come out before long.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own 'The Loud House' or any other property in this work that I did not make myself.

A collection of Loud House one-shots

The only one I need (Plot: Lori Loud and her friends on the Royal Woods High School varsity golf team are baffled to no end about how a girl in their school scores nothing but holes in one whenever she plays golf, despite being nowhere near as active a player as any of them.)

It was a lovely enough Saturday afternoon at a golf course in Royal Woods, Michigan. The members of Royal Wood High School's very own varsity golf team, all of which were girls surprisingly enough, were here today for practice for an upcoming tournament against a team from a rival high school. Leading the girls of Royal Woods High was the head of the team and arguably their best player, Lori Loud.

Although this was just for practice, not an actual game, some of Lori's siblings came to support her. Specifically, the others who attended Royal Woods High with her, that being Leni and Luna. "You're, like, totally going to win next week Lori," Leni said, "You're totes awesome at this game, you know."

"Thanks, Leni," the oldest Loud sibling replied as she carefully selected the golf club she wanted to use for the hole she was on. Seeing that Lori was taking a bit of time in picking a club, Luna expressed confusion.

"Why are you taking so long, mate?" Luna asked as some of her practiced British accent slipped through due to frustration over Lori taking so long to pick a club, "Just pick a bleeding club already!"

"I have to make sure I pick the right club," Lori replied, "The kind of club I use will have an effect on how well I hit the ball, as well as how far I can get the ball to go. I also have to take the hole we're on into account."

"Wow, Lori," Leni remarked in an amazed tone, "You take golfing as seriously as Linky takes video games. You must be, like, totes good at this!"

Smiling in an amused manner due to her ego being stroked, Lori replied, "Well I'm not the best on the team for no-"

"Alright, ya nagging women," a female voice called out, interrupting Lori in the process, "I came to play golf with the lot of you!" Lori, her siblings, and the girls on the varsity golf team turned to see a group of three teenagers from their school come walking up.

The first one was a girl, this being the one who called out, who was seventeen years of age. She had fair skin and blonde hair; the hair was long enough so that she could bind it into twin pigtails that trailed down the back of her head. The girl wore a dark green somewhat baggy t-shirt, a pair of blue jeans, white sneakers, and, tied around her waist, a brown leather jacket that opened in the front. The neck hole of the jacket went around the girl's waist so that her legs were actually inside of the jacket, rather than the jacket covering her butt. Additionally, she wore a red Sherpa hat with tassels hanging from the ear flaps on her head, and a white cloth bandage over the bridge of her nose. She wore the bandage purely for aesthetic reasons; she wasn't actually nursing an injury. Over her back was a somewhat thin rectangle-shaped leather case that peeked out from over her right shoulder at one end, and from behind her left waist at the other.

The second teenager was the only male of the trio; like the first girl, the boy was also seventeen years of age. He was as tall as the first girl, and had skin that was just as fair. He also had blond hair, albeit it was a bit longer, in a paler shade, and worn in a single men's ponytail that trailed down the back of his head, save for the bangs which he allowed to frame his face.

The boy wore a light gray long-sleeved shirt (the sleeve ends hanging somewhat loosely rather than cling snugly to the wrists) under a light green men's tank top, a pair of light gray cargo pants held up with a belt, white socks and a pair of men's sandals. Over his long-sleeved shirt and men's tank top, he wore a sleeveless light green haori coat; it was of the long variety, reaching his knees. Around his neck, the boy wore a pair of white studio headphones, the cords from the earpads trailing down until they became a single cord that disappeared into the right front pocket of his pants. There were black circles on the outside of the earpads. He had what appeared to be a cloth carrying case for a bokken over his back, peeking out from his right shoulder and left waist same as the leather case on the first girl's back.

The third and final teen of the trio was a girl who was fifteen years of age rather than seventeen. She had a sort of grayish pale skin, and pitch-black hair whose bangs covered her left eye, allowing her right eye, which was a piercing shade of burgundy, to see unhindered. The rest of the second girl's hair was long enough so that it trailed halfway down her back in a single braided ponytail. She wore a black sleeveless girl's blouse, a black skirt that reached her knees, black and white striped arm warmers that reached halfway up her upper arms, black and white striped stockings, and black shoes. The second girl was also holding onto a wooden staff; judging by its design and detailing, the staff was of Native American make.

"Alright ladies," the first girl said in a tone that carried a very mild hint of annoyance, "Are we going to be hitting some little white balls into the holes or what?"

"Allison!" Lori remarked in a happy tone as she walked up to greet the first girl, "Glad you were able to make it!"

"You know this girl, sis?" Luna asked as she pointed to the first girl and her companions.

"This is Allison Ace," Lori explained to Luna as she introduced the first girl, "My friends on the varsity golf team have been asking her to join us for quite some time."

"More like nagging," Allison retorted in a mildly bothered tone, "Seriously. Why do you girls want me to join your little golf guild?"

"Perhaps they are impressed by your skill, Allison," the boy in Allison's group remarked, "After all, you do have a reputation for always playing flawlessly."

"That's because I am blessed by the Allfather," Allison said as she reached over her right shoulder to unzip the case she has over her back.

"What's she talking about?" Leni asked Lori in a whisper, a confused look on her face.

"Allison believes in the gods of Norse mythology," Lori whispered back, "She is especially respectful of Odin, the king of the Norse gods, who is also known as the Allfather."

"Oh, so Allison is religious," Leni replied in a whisper, "Well that certainly explains-" The fashionable Loud sibling stopped midsentence when her eyes fell upon the boy that was in the trio with Allison. "Hey Lori," Leni whispered in a somewhat shy tone, "Who's the guy that's with Allison?"

"That's Allison's younger twin brother Aggro," Lori explained, "Why do you ask?"

"Oh," Leni replied in a somewhat bashful tone as she trailed off a bit, "No reason."

"Oh, Allison," one of the girls on the varsity golf team began, "You didn't bring a set of golf clubs with you, so I can let you-"

"Here we are," Allison said as she unknowingly interrupted that girl midsentence. Allison had unzipped the case over her back, reached into it, and drew out what was inside said case; a single golf club. "Now I'm ready to play!" the female Ace sibling declared as she raised her single golf club into the air.

"…Don't you need a few more golf clubs?" the first girl on the team to have spoken up asked, confused as to the fact that Allison only owns one golf club.

"Oh yeah," a second girl on the varsity golf team began to explain to the first girl; whereas the first girl was a slim girl with frizzy reddish-orange hair, freckles and wore a pair of somewhat nerdy looking glasses, the second girl was an African American that was chubby but in a cute way. With the first girl's attention on her, the second girl said, "You're new to the team, so you don't know about when we're able to convince Allison to join us for a round."

As Allison proceeded to take her place to hit the golf ball, the second girl on the team said to the first, "The only golf club that Allison owns is that four-iron that she just pulled out. She brings it with her whenever us girls on the team are able to convince her to play with us, and it's the only one she's willing to use. If any of us try to offer to let her use our clubs, she'll decline the offer."

"…Okay," the first girl said to the second, "But that still doesn't explain why-"

"FOR ODIN!" Allison exclaimed as she swung her golf club and hit the ball, sending it flying. After the golf ball that Allison sent flying into the distance got far enough away, everyone went over to where the hole on the course was located. After a couple of minutes of walking, everyone reached the hole. To the shock of the first girl on the team that had spoken up, Lori removed a golf ball from the hole on the course. The very golf ball that Allison sent flying.

"…That's…" the first girl said in a quiet shocked tone of bewilderment, "…A hole in one…"

* * *

As the day went on, the students of Royal Woods High School who had gathered to play continued their game, with those who weren't there to play merely watching the game unfold. Just as her brother had suggested, Allison played flawlessly; the girl who paid homage to the Norse gods scored only holes in one every time she swung her golf club at the balls that were placed on golf tees.

After the group broke away and went their separate ways, Lori and her sisters decided to head to the nearest fast food place to grab a bite to eat. "I literally still don't get it," Lori remarked to her younger sisters after having taken a sip of her soda, "Allison plays nowhere near as often as any of the girls on the team, not to mention the fact that she has far less interest in playing golf. But still, she scores nothing but holes in one whenever she plays." Sighing in a mildly frustrated tone, Lori continued, "What is her secret?"

"Maybe she's serious about that Odin dude looking out for her," Luna remarked.

"I doubt that Allison is as good as she is because of divine intervention," the oldest Loud sibling replied, "She must be obscenely lucky."

"Can we, like, not talk about luck?" Leni asked in a mildly troubled tone, "I'm still feeling really bad about how we forced Linky to wear that squirrel costume just because he wanted us to love him again." Looking down at where her chicken nuggets sat on the tray she got, Leni said, "I still can't believe we did that to him."

"I'm surprised the little dude didn't call the police on us," Luna remarked, "Even though we would have totally deserved it."

"Yeah, you girls have a point," Lori admitted, "And trust me, we _will_ be making it up to Lincoln. But that's not the point right now." Sighing, the oldest Loud sibling remarked, "Although the subject of luck is a touchy subject for us right now, I literally cannot think of any other reason to explain Allison's consistent perfect playing other than her being lucky."

As the three oldest Loud siblings were deep in thought, Luna said after a few seconds, "Maybe it isn't Allison herself who's the lucky one. Maybe it has something to do with that golf club that she brought with her."

"Hmm, maybe you're onto something there, Luna," Lori replied, "I mean, it's the only golf club that Allison uses, and she refuses to use any other golf club other than that one. And yet she still scored only holes in one whenever she plays with us."

"So, it might be because of that special golf club of hers," Luna remarked. Taking a sip of her own drink, Luna asked, "You think it might be specially designed or something?"

Shaking her head gently in the negative, Lori said, "No way. I took a good look at it one time, and it seems like just a regular four-iron golf club to me. There's literally no way it is a custom-made club designed to let Allison play better."

"Then maybe there _is_ some sort of special quality about that club," Luna replied. Turning to face Leni, Luna asked, "What do you think, Leni?"

"What sort of music do you, like, think Allison's brother likes?" Leni replied.

"Wait," Lori interrupted with a baffled look on her face, "What? Leni, we're talking about Allison's ability to play flawless games of golf every single time she plays with us, not her brother's taste in music."

"Oh, sorry," the fashionable Loud sibling replied, "My bad."

"Maybe we should pay Allison a visit," Luna suggested.

"…Yeah, I see where you're going with this," Lori said as she started to like Luna's idea more and more, "We can go more into detail about how Allison always plays flawlessly even though she only ever uses the one golf club."

"And while we're at it, we can, like, ask why an otherwise nicely dressed guy like Allison's brother wears socks with sandals!" Leni added, "Everyone wins!"

"Again, Leni," Lori said in a mildly annoyed tone, "We're only going to go see Allison."

* * *

About a half hour later, the three oldest Loud siblings reached the Ace residence. It was a two-story home of similar design to the Loud residence. But then again, a lot of the two-story homes in the neighborhood are built very similar to each other. "Okay girls," Lori said, "Just let me do all of the talking, alright?"

"Got it, chief," Luna replied with a salute. Leni merely nodded in obedience. With her sisters understanding the play-by-play, Lori turned to face the Ace residence's front door and knocked on it a few times. When she did that, a loud booming barking came from the other side, startling the three girls.

"Calm down, Fenrir!" Allison's voice said loudly on the other side of the door, "It's just some visitors." The door then opened, revealing Allison standing there. Aside from not wearing anything on her feet at all and not having the rectangular leather case that held her golf club over her back, Allison was dressed just as she was earlier. "Oh, you're the head of the school's golf guild," Allison remarked to Lori, "What brings you by?" Giving the oldest Loud sibling a suspicious glare, Allison continued, "You're not here because you're trying to recruit me again, are you?"

"No, no," Lori replied, "I just wanted to talk to you for a bit. Is that alright?"

"I suppose these fellow guild members of yours will be joining us?" Allison replied as she gestured to Leni and Luna.

"Oh no, brah," Luna said, "We aren't on the golf team with Lori. Leni and I were at the golf course earlier to support Lori. She's our older sister."

"Hmm…" Allison hummed as she considered the guests who just arrived. After a few seconds, Allison replied, "Very well. Come on in, but be mindful of Fenrir."

"Fenrir?" Lori said in a confused tone as she and her sisters were shown into the Ace residence, "I'm guessing that was the dog that was barking earlier?" As an answer to Lori's question, a large and powerful-looking dog with dark fur and a light brown underside came running over to the Loud siblings, startling Lori, Leni and Luna. "What sort of dog is this?!" Lori exclaimed, partly due to alarm over being approached by so big a dog.

"Ah, Fenrir here is a Tibetan Mastiff," Allison remarked, "And although he's just recently reached his full-grown size, he's still as harmless as a teddy bear unless you give him a reason not to be." The large dog sniffed as the Loud sisters who had come by, inspecting them as dogs tend to do with new visitors. After he was finished sniffing at Luna, Fenrir starred up at the girls for a few seconds before he gave another booming bark, followed by running off.

"That's…a really big dog," Lori said, still kind of shocked. The oldest Loud sibling's reaction drew an amused chuckle out of the (technically) oldest Ace sibling.

"If'n you think that Fenrir is an impressive beast," Allison said, "Then wait until you see the animals that my siblings who were with me earlier keep as pets."

"Given what my little sister Lana usually does, it'd take a lot to surprise me," Lori remarked.

"Most likely, but that's not the point, I reckon," Allison agreed, "You three are here for reasons other than talking about who owns what as a pet."

"Yeah, I was wanting to ask more about that golf club of yours," Lori said.

"Oh," Allison replied in a mildly surprised tone, "You mean Yonfour?"

"Yonfour?" Luna repeated in a confused tone.

Nodding in the affirmative, Allison said, "Aye. Yonfour is the name of my golf club that you're asking about."

"…You named your golf club?" Luna asked, more confused than anything else.

"Verily," Allison said as she walked over to one of the rooms on the first floor. A few seconds later, Allison came back, the carrying case for her golf club over her back. Opening the case, Allison drew her golf club out as if she were a warrior drawing her sword out of a scabbard across her back. "It's a treasured possession of mine, one that I can never relinquish to another," Allison replied, "Surely at least one of you girls owns something that means so much to you that you bestowed a name upon it."

"Well I have a guitar that I named Gibson," Luna remarked.

"Ah, there we go," Allison said as she nodded a few times towards the musical Loud, "One of you gets it!" Looking to the three Loud sisters as a whole, Allison continued, "So what is it about Yonfour that's got your interest?"

"Well, Allison," Lori began, "It relates to the round of golf you joined me and the rest of the girls on the varsity golf team for earlier today."

"What of it?" the Ace girl replied.

"Why do you only ever bring that club?" Lori asked, "I mean, surely you own more than one."

In response to Lori's question, Allison gently shook her head in the negative. "No, sorry to disappoint you," Allison said, "But Yonfour is the only golf club that I own."

"But why-" Lori began to ask, only to be cut off.

"Because Yonfour is the only one I need," Allison answered. That answer, combined with the confident tone and expression with which Allison delivered it, made Lori and her sisters take pause for a few seconds.

"Umm, if you ever, like, play a serious game, you may be required to get a proper set of clubs," Leni pointed out.

"If I'm dragged into playing a game and if it absolutely comes down to it, then I'll go out and get a few more golf clubs," Allison replied, "But I'll only be carrying those clubs around for show to keep people from complaining." Raising her signature club up a bit, Allison said, "I'll still be only using Yonfour."

Lori gave what Allison said a bit of thought. After a few seconds, Lori said, "Hey Allison, there's a big golf game next weekend."

"I'll be busy that weekend, helping with various family affairs," Allison retorted.

"Well that answers one possible question," Lori remarked, her gaze trailing somewhat to the floor. Bringing her gaze right back up to the Ace girl standing before her, Lori said, "If that's the case, then would you mind it too much if I borrowed your golf club?"

"Ehh?" Allison replied in a confused tone, "You wish to borrow Yonfour?"

"Yes, borrow," Lori said, "You wouldn't be opposed to letting me borrow it, would you?"

"Hmm…" the Ace girl hummed as she turned so that her left side faced the Loud girls. Wearing a look of consideration on her face, Allison said, "I am very hesitant to do so, and if you end up justifying my hesitation, then may Odin have mercy on you when I get ahold of you. But…"

Turning back to properly face the Loud girls, Allison said, "Very well. I shall permit you to use Yonfour for the aforementioned big game next weekend. When would be an appropriate time for me to lend it to you?"

"At school on Friday, when classes are done for the day," Lori replied with obvious glee in her tone, "Thanks again, All-" Lori was cut off when something wet shoved its way into the palm of her right hand. Mildly startled, Lori saw that Fenrir was nudging Lori's hand. Seeing this drew something of an amused smile from Fenrir's owner.

"He's wanting you to pet him," Allison explained. With a nervous smile, Lori proceeded to ruffle the top of Fenrir's head. This apparently pleased the Tibetan Mastiff, who proceeded to sit down. Lori decided to scratch Fenrir behind one of his ears; this move made Fenrir lay down and roll over onto his back. Seeing such a large dog practically melt in her hands like this made Lori giggle. "See?" Allison remarked in amusement as Lori bent down to give Fenrir a belly rub, "It's like I said earlier. Fenrir is pretty much a teddy bear."

* * *

That night, Lori, Leni and Luna were talking to each other in Lori and Leni's room; Luna, who was along for the most of the day, was permitted to enter the otherwise off-limits room. "Why did you ask to borrow Allison's golf club?" Leni asked Lori, "Don't you, like, have a perfectly good set of golf clubs of your own?"

"Luna might have a point about Allison's four-iron literally having some sort of special trait," Lori explained, "And I intend to take advantage of it."

"But what if it doesn't work for you the way it works for Allison?" Luna asked, "This seems awfully risky if you ask me, dude."

"I'm not the only one on the varsity golf team who's interested in finding out more about that golf club of Allison's," Lori replied, "And I think that this is literally as good of a time as any to find out."

Giving her oldest sister a skeptical look, Luna replied, "I hope you know what you're getting yourself into, dude."

"I'll deal with it," Lori replied in a confident tone, ending any other arguments right there.

* * *

The following Saturday, Lori and her friends on the varsity golf team met up at another golf course to play against the rival team. Lori owned her own four-iron golf club, but she left hers at home in favor of using Yonfour. At least it was impossible to get the two mixed up; Lori's four-iron had a light blue-colored grip that seemed relatively new, whereas Yonfour's grip was a reddish-brown leathery color that seemed a bit faded with age.

"Hey Lori," the African American girl on her team said when she saw the oldest Loud sibling draw Yonfour out of a golf bag, "Is that Allison's four-iron?"

Nodding once in the affirmative, Lori replied, "I convinced her to let me borrow it for the game today."

"She actually agreed to let you borrow it?" the African American girl said in a surprised tone. Looking mildly worried, the girl continued, "What sort of favors do you owe Allison now?"

"None, really," Lori explained, "Although she did say something along the lines of her gods raining vengeance upon me or something else like that if I end up justifying her being hesitant in letting me borrow it."

Within short order, the game between the two rival teams began. As she represented Royal Woods High School, Lori was the first to go. With Yonfour in hand, the oldest Loud sibling approached the golf tee. " _Well_ , _time to see if this thing really is lucky_ ," Lori thought as she took aim and swung, hitting the golf ball and sending it flying. The teams proceeded to go over to the hole to see how well Lori did. Upon reaching the hole, Lori's African American friend looked into the hole, her expression lighting up as she did.

"It's a hole in one!" the African American girl exclaimed. Lori's teammates cheered while Lori herself looked at the four-iron in her grip with a look of amazement mixed with disbelief.

" _So far so good_ ," Lori thought as her record in the game so far was recorded.

…

As the day went on, Royal Woods High School continued to do very well against the rival team. This was especially true for Lori, who scored only holes in one whenever she was up for her school's team. Eventually, the game between the two rival schools had ended; the Royal Woods High School team won, due in part to Lori having played perfectly. Although the rush of winning got the rest of the Royal Woods High team cheering, Lori was still in shock; even as good as she was, she had _never_ played a perfect game before.

The closest that Lori had ever gotten to a perfect game prior to today was the only time so far that she had brought Lincoln because she needed someone to act as her golf caddy; on that game, Lori scored holes in one on every hole except for three, and on those other three she got the ball in on the second try. But today, oh today, this was Lori's first ever perfect game. The oldest Loud sibling thought that she would never play a perfect game of golf, but it happened. And when her school's varsity team played against the varsity team of a rival school.

…But still, a deal was a deal. When she got to the parking lot of the golf course, Lori saw her mom Rita waiting there, sitting in the driver's seat of Vanzilla. "How was the big game today, Lori?" Rita asked as Lori placed her golf bag in the back seat.

"Not only did my team win, but I actually played a perfect game!" Lori replied. Closing the side door and walking over to the passenger door, Lori opened it before continuing, "All I got were holes in one today."

"Don't tell your father," Rita said jokingly, "He might get jealous." After Lori buckled herself in, Rita continued, "But seriously, Lori. Congratulations."

"Thanks, mom," replied the oldest Loud sibling as Vanzilla pulled out of the golf course parking lot and drove out. As Rita drove home, Lori pulled out her smartphone to make a call. "Hey Allison?" Lori said into the phone.

"Who are you?" a young female voice replied on the other end, "Are you a friend of Allison's or Amy's?" After the question was posed, Lori heard someone take the phone from the young girl talking on it.

"Sorry about that," Allison's voice said over the phone, "To who am I speaking?"

"Allison?" Lori said, "It's me, Lori. Who was that girl just now?"

"That was my six-year-old sister Anna," Allison explained, "She found my cell phone ringing on the dining room table and answered it because Fenrir was barking at it. He must have thought that the cell phone was ringing because it was trying to challenge him. So anywho, what's up?"

"I just wanted to let you know that the varsity team and I won our game against the rival team," Lori replied, "Thanks again. When would you like for me to return…umm…what did you call your golf club again?"

"Yonfour," Allison said, "I'll expect it back on Monday. You can return it to me at school."

"Got it," Lori replied.

"So, Lori," Allison began in a curious tone, "I've got to ask. Did Odin bless your game today?"

The question made Lori take pause for a bit; once again, Allison brought up her belief in the Norse gods, Odin especially. Allison claimed that her perfect playing is due to her being blessed by the Allfather. Her mind going back to the fact that she currently possessed Yonfour, Allison thought that maybe…just maybe…Yonfour is a lucky golf club after all. Lucky because a god decided to make it so.

"…Yeah," Lori replied, "Yeah, Allison. I'd say that Odin certainly had a role in how well I played today."

"Good," Allison replied, "It is important to always remember to give credit where credit is due."

"Got it," Lori said, "Anywho, I'll see you at school on Monday." With that, Lori ended the call.

"Was that a friend of yours, dear?" Rita asked.

Nodding a few times in the affirmative, Lori replied, "Yeah, she let me borrow a golf club of hers for the game today."

"You're going to return it, right?" Rita asked.

"Of course, mom," Lori said, "That is literally what I was talking to my friend on the phone about."

Looking out the window, Lori allowed her mind to drift as she thought about the game that took place today, the practice that happened last weekend, and most of all, how Allison's golf club is apparently an instrument of divine will.

* * *

That Monday after school, Lori and the rest of her siblings were at home, relaxing after the end of the school day. Lori was laying on her bed in her and Leni's room, reading a magazine, when there was a knock at the door. "Who is it?" Lori called out.

"It's me," Lincoln's voice replied from the other side of the door, "You left your smartphone on the dining room table, and it started ringing right when I finished the last of my homework. I would have brought it to you, but I was worried you'd turn me into a human pretzel for touching your phone."

Getting up off of her bed, Lori walked to the door and opened it, revealing her little brother standing there. "I completely understand your reasoning, Lincoln," Lori remarked as she made her way past the sole Loud boy, "Thank you for respecting my stuff." Lori made her way down the stairs and into the dining room, where her smartphone was ringing. Picking up her smartphone, Lori saw that the call was from Allison. "Hey Allison," Lori greeted, "What's up?"

END

Author's notes:

The girl that was with Allison and Aggro at the golf course is Amy, in case you were wondering. The Ace family will be recurring characters in the Loud House stories that I write, if their previous appearences in 'Restored Image' wasn't enough of a clue. But more on that later. Anywho, the next one shot that I have planned for this collection is something that I wrote up as something of a response to one of the episodes that aired during September 2017. It's an episode that, personally, gave me a lot to think about.

In case any of you were wondering why I got so many chapters for this one-shot collection up in one day, like I said earlier, I have quite the backlog to get out.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own 'The Loud House' or any other property in this work that I did not make myself.

A collection of Loud House one-shots

Alone (Plot: One day after getting out of school, Lisa Loud comes across a student who, in many ways, reminds Lisa of herself prior to befriending Darcy Helmandollar. However, Lisa is rather surprised when she learns why that student doesn't have any friends.)

"Why are you even complaining?" Ms. Shrinivas asked the parents of one of the students in the Kindergarten class she teaches at Royal Woods Elementary School, one day when parent/teacher conferences were being held. "You son got a passing grade in Social Skills," Ms. Shrinivas pointed out to the parents she was talking to, "So I don't even really see why you are so upset."

"That's not the point," the father retorted in a mildly annoyed tone, "The point is that you basically made my son work for a grade that not only has nothing to do with academics, but it was a grade that you could have failed him on based on something he had no control over!"

"My husband is right, Ms. Shrinivas," the mother said in a tone that showed that she wholeheartedly agreed with her husband, "I mean, seriously! You told my son that he had to make a friend in order to get a passing grade in Social Skills? What if he tried his hardest, but still failed to make a friend because no one wanted to be friends with him? Would you have still failed my son then?! And let's not forget that you imposed this 'make a friend or else you fail' bit on _all_ of your students!"

"But ma'am-" Ms. Shrinivas tried to begin saying, but she was cut off.

"My wife has a point," the husband said in the same tone as before, "Aside from the fact that there are some kids who can't make friends simply because no one wants to be friends with them, there's also the fact that some kids suffer from various forms of social anxiety. What if one of your students had social anxiety, and you put that student in the same situation that you put my son in?! Do you know what doing that would do to the poor kid?!"

Ms. Shrinivas could not say anything in response to the brutal verbal onslaught that she was on the receiving end of. These parents, as harsh as they were being, did raise an excellent point about various factors outside of a student's control in regards to making friends. In fact, there was a boy in her class that suffered from some form of social anxiety disorder, and she discreetly excused that boy from the assignment that, as the mother put it, was a 'make a friend or else you fail' sort of deal.

Thankfully, there was no case where one of Ms. Shrinivas's students failed to make a friend because no one wanted to be friends with them. But it was still an excellent point nonetheless. Regardless of the fact that their son actually _passed_ Social Skills, Ms. Shrinivas realized to her regret that these parents had every right to complain about their son being put on the spot the way that he was. After she apologized, Ms. Shrinivas knew what she was going to have to restructure her Social Skills lessons to avoid future conflicts like this.

* * *

"Well that was certainly an interesting class," Lisa Loud remarked to her friend Darcy Helmandollar one day after their class was let out for the day. "I could tell that something was bothering Ms. Shrinivas," the brainy Loud sibling said, "But I cannot for the life of me tell what was up exactly."

"Yeah, Ms. Shrinivas did seem upset," Darcy agreed. Suddenly, the four-year-old girl gasped in a shocked tone. Facing Lisa, Darcy said, "You don't think that Ms. Shrinivas had a pet cat but it ran away, do you? Or worse, what if the pet cat died?"

"I…don't think that Ms. Shrinivas has ever owned a cat," Lisa replied in something of a deadpan. As the two Kindergarten girls walked, Lisa was surprised to find herself in this situation; a while ago, Lisa had no friends to speak of. In fact, it was because of her lack of friends that Lisa got a bad grade in Social Skills, prompting the brainy Loud sibling to make a friend to get her grade up. By the end of all of that, Lisa not only learned why friendship was so important, but she even got to stay friends with the girl she tried befriending, that being Darcy.

Lisa also likes how, even though she and Darcy are both four-year-old girls, only Darcy acts like a girl their age should, whereas Lisa is a stoic genius like what you'd see in laboratories. Lisa thought that it made for an interesting dynamic. Furthermore, this whole experience made her realize that this was a field of study that she has never touched upon before, and Lisa always enjoys having new fields of study to look into.

"Maybe we should ask Ms. Shrinivas if her cat's okay," Darcy said, bringing Lisa back to reality.

"Assuming that she ever had a cat, that it," Lisa replied, a hint of an amused smile on her face. Agreeing with her friend, Lisa proceeded to follow Darcy back to their classroom in hopes of catching Ms. Shrinivas before she left. As the two girls walked, a boy about their age walked past them, catching their attention.

The boy had fair skin and long, spiky dark brunette hair that seemed almost purplish or bluish in color. He wore a cream-colored long-sleeved shirt over a blue t-shirt, a pair of cream-colored shorts, white shoes and white socks. Nothing was particularly off about the boy; in fact, Darcy even recognized him.

"Oh, that's Hugo," Darcy remarked as she watched the boy pass by.

"Hugo?" Lisa repeated in a mildly confused tone.

"He's a real nice kid in our class," Darcy explained, "But he's really shy. He often sits in the back of the class, and hardly ever makes a sound. In fact, you aren't the first kid who failed to notice that he's even in our class at all."

"Well if he's as reserved as you claim he is, then it's no surprise that he's practically invisible to the rest of our class," Lisa stated.

A confused look on her face, Darcy said, "Umm, he's not invisible. We can see him just fine."

" _Wow_ , _I just found another Leni_ ," Lisa thought to herself in a bemused manner.

* * *

After she gets home with the rest of her siblings who also attend Royal Woods Elementary School, Lisa would normally go straight to the bedroom that she shared with Loud family baby Lily. Lisa's older siblings who also attend RWES, Lincoln, Lucy and the twins Lola and Lana, would expect this, due to Lisa's past history. However, they all looked at their brainy little sister with looks of mild surprise, mixed into a more sizable portion of confusion. It was Lola who first decided to breach the matter.

"Don't you have some sort of science stuff to do in your room, Lisa?" Lola asked in a tone that was seven parts accusatory, two parts suspicious and one part confused.

"I do indeed have an experiment or two that I'm aiming to work on, but that's beside the point," Lisa replied as she sat her backpack down, opened it, and pulled out a yearbook. Flipping through the pages, Lisa eventually came to what she wanted to find. "Aha, here we go," Lisa said. Looking up from her yearbook to her older siblings, Lisa asked, "Are any of you familiar with a Hugo Ashveil, who attends the same school as us?"

"I'm familiar with him," Lincoln replied, "Shortly before Ronnie Anne moved with her family to the next state over, I saw her stop a second-grade boy from picking on a boy in Kindergarten. That boy that Ronnie Anne saved from bullying was Hugo." Giving his brainy little sister a curious look, Lincoln asked, "Why do you ask, Lisa? Isn't Hugo in your class? You ought to know him more than any of us."

"Logically, that would be correct to assume," Lisa stated, "However, from what Darcy told me, that Hugo fellow…doesn't leave much of an impression on anyone. Basically, people often have trouble telling that Hugo's even there."

"Like how we occasionally have trouble telling if Lucy's here or not?" Lana asked as she raised a hand.

"Oh ha, ha," Lucy replied, her usual emotionless monotone carrying a hint of annoyance.

"That's…not the point I was trying to make, Lana," Lisa continued, "This Hugo boy is not only invisible to pretty much everyone at school, but he seems to like things being that way, seems to like not having friends." Her face showing more than a hint of concern, the brainy Loud sibling said, "Hugo…reminds me of how I used to be a while ago, and it concerns me."

Lincoln smiled, a gentle and understanding smile, realizing that the lessons Lisa learned from that whole experience are sticking with the normally stoic four-year-old. "Then why don't you, and maybe your friend Darcy if she's up to it, try inviting Hugo to hang out?" Lincoln suggested, "I mean, if anyone knows how to help him break out of his shell, it should be you."

"Hmm," Lisa replied in a tone of consideration as she held her hand to her chin, "That does sound like it would be a good idea. I mean, being friends with someone of the opposite gender would provide me with new information on the subject of friendship, which I am rather keen on learning more of."

With a knowing chuckle, Lincoln said, "Well there you go, Lisa. Extend an olive branch to Hugo the next time you see him."

"Why should Lisa give that Hugo kid an olive branch, Lincoln?" Lola asked.

"He was using a metaphor, sis," Lana explained in something of an unamused monotone, and with a matching expression.

* * *

The following school day, Lisa was talking to Darcy as during an early snack time. "You want to try and become friends with Hugo?" Darcy asked the brainy Loud sibling, her tone a mix of curiosity and surprise.

"I am still relatively new to the concept of making friends, so I was hoping that I could rely on your assistance," Lisa replied, confirming her friend's question in the affirmative, "After all, you are way more experienced in this regard than I am."

After giggling cutely in amusement, Darcy said, "It's not all that difficult to make friends, Lisa. In fact, it's as easy as starting with being kind."

"Hmm," Lisa said as she considered Darcy's words. Looking to her half-consumed carton of milk, the brainy Loud sibling said, "I have a theory about where it would be a good idea to start."

Getting up from the little chair she sat in, Lisa looked around the classroom, seeing the other kids in the class enjoy snack time. The brainy Loud sibling soon spotted Hugo, sitting alone and near the back of the class, invisible to practically everyone else. After a brisk few seconds, Lisa made her way over to where the shy boy sat alone.

"Excuse me," Lisa said, making her presence known to Hugo and eliciting a mildly frightened 'eep' out of the shy boy. "Usually during snack time, I always elect to get plain milk to drink," Lisa began, "However, I was considering trying something else. I don't suppose you'd care to give me your opinion on the matter, would you?"

Mildly surprised that someone was actually talking to him, and wanting his opinion on some matter no less, Hugo timidly said, "Well, umm, I usually get a strawberry milk if I see that it's available."

"Strawberry milk, you say," Lisa replied in a tone of piqued interest, "Interesting. Would you say that it's good?"

Mildly rattled that someone was focusing on him so much, Hugo didn't respond verbally to Lisa's second question. Instead, he merely nodded in the affirmative. "Very well then," Lisa said after getting Hugo's non-verbal confirmation, "I shall try the strawberry milk next time. Thank you for the recommendation." As Lisa turned to walk away, Hugo immediately turned his attention back down to where his snack sat on the table he sat at, relieved that no one was paying attention to him now.

After she sat back down next to Darcy at the table they were sharing, Lisa said to her friend, "Well that was as effective of an ice-breaker as I could think of. What do you think?"

"Complementing his choices is a really good start," Darcy replied with a nod, "I think that you're doing great, Lisa."

* * *

Later that day during recess, Lisa and Darcy were on the playground. "So where can we find Hugo out here?" Lisa asked.

"I'm not sure," Darcy replied with a shrug, "But maybe we can-"

"Woah, did you see that first-grader just now?!" one fourth-grade boy said to another as they walked past Lisa and Darcy, "She took on three fifth-grade boys at once and still handed their butts to them! I haven't seen a girl that tough at this school since before Ronnie Anne Santiago moved away!"

"Looks like Royal Woods Elementary has a new queen of pain," the other fourth-grade boy replied in a tone of agreement, just before they were out of range for Lisa and Darcy to hear what they were saying. Curious about what the two fourth-grade boys were talking about, Lisa led Darcy over to the direction that the boys came from. When the two Kindergarten girls arrived, Lisa was surprised to see a number of students praising Lana.

"Lana, what is going on here?" Lisa asked.

"Oh, these three jerks were being jerks, so I set them straight," Lana replied in a casual, rather vague manner as she jerked a thumb over her shoulder. Looking over slightly, Lisa saw three boys just beginning to pick themselves up after they were roughed up.

The first boy was a fair-skinned redhead with freckles; he wore a green shirt with a gear symbol on it over a white long-sleeved shirt, black pants held up with a belt of matching color, and a pair of white shoes. The second boy had fair skin, black hair in something of a mohawk, and he wore a red hoodie, a pair of blue pants and a pair of white shoes that had green stripes. The third boy was fair-skinned and notably fell-fed, had dark blonde hair that resembled a certain American air force man who liked using flash kicks, a green short-sleeved shirt that was open in the front thus revealing a yellow shirt underneath, brown pants and a pair of sandals of matching color. All three boys were moaning somewhat in pain as they tried picking themselves up.

"You beat up three boys that are in the fifth grade…by yourself," Lisa said, not believing what her older sister was saying.

"Well hey, they were being jerks to some younger boy," Lana defended, "I think that kid's in kindergarten, same as you. I saw him run into the school crying if you're interested in trying to follow him."

"I suppose checking on him would be logical, given the circumstances," Lisa replied. Turning to face Darcy, Lisa said, "I'm afraid that Hugo is going to have to wait. We have a bullied student in our class to check up on."

Nodding in agreement with Lisa, Darcy proceeded to follow her friend into the school to hopefully find the poor kid who was being bullied so they could see if he was alright, and also hopefully tell a teacher what happened.

* * *

After the two Kindergarten girls entered the main building of RWES, they proceeded to look around, hoping to find signs of the bullied student from their class. "Hey, don't you think we should have asked your sister what the kid who was being bullied looks like?" Darcy asked.

"D'oh!" Lisa exclaimed as she smacked herself in the forehead, "I cannot believe I made such a simple mistake! How can we find the boy if we don't even know what he looks like?"

"Are you looking for Hugo, by any chance?" a female voice that was familiar to Lisa and Darcy asked, prompting the two Kindergarten girls to look up. As such, they saw Ms. Shrinivas, their teacher. The woman wore a look of concern on her face, matching the concerned tone that she was using.

"Wait a minute," Lisa began, "It was Hugo who was being bullied by those three boys in the fifth grade?"

"It was three fifth-grade boys who were picking on him?" Ms. Shrinivas remarked, the concern in her tone morphing into shocked alarm.

"Don't worry, my older sister Lana got them to stop," Lisa replied, "But that's beside the point. Do you know where Hugo is, Ms. Shrinivas?"

"He's in Principal Huggins's office, sitting on a chair crying," Ms. Shrinivas explained in a mildly regretful tone.

"Lisa and I want to go and see if Hugo is okay," Darcy said to her and Lisa's teacher, "We're both really worried about him. In fact, Lisa and I both want to try and help Hugo become not shy so we can be friends with him."

"Yes, I noticed earlier during snack time that Lisa was talking to him and trying to be friendly," Ms. Shrinivas remarked, "It's really great to see that she's taking a more active role in trying to make friends. I'm glad to see that the lessons from Social Skills have sunk in." With something of an amused smile, Ms. Shrinivas said to Lisa, "You don't happen to have a little crush on Hugo, do you?"

"Negative, Ms. Shrinivas," Lisa replied with a gentle shake of her head, "Although I do have my eye on a certain boy in class. But that is getting off subject." Looking up at her teacher, Lisa asked, "Would now be a good time for Darcy and I to go see if Hugo is okay? It's logical that assistance from those who care about him would be the best way to help Hugo recover from his unpleasant experience from earlier."

"I'm sorry girls," Ms. Shrinivas said in an apologetic tone, "But now isn't really all that good of a time. Hugo is scared out of his mind, and he needs time alone to recover."

"I see," Lisa replied in a mildly disappointed tone as both she and Darcy looked to the floor.

"But," Ms. Shrinivas continued in a reassuring tone, getting the two Kindergarten girls to look back up at her, "I will say that I'm proud of how you two are showing such concern for one of your classmates, and how you're both going out of your way just to see if he's okay. In fact, I dare say that you two might end up being the first friends Hugo will make."

"That is something else I am curious about now that you mention it, Ms. Shrinivas," Lisa continued, "From what I've learned about him, Hugo doesn't really have anyone that he can count as a friend."

A regretful look on her face, Ms. Shrinivas said, "Yes, that would be accurate to say, I suppose. Normally, I'm not supposed to discuss this with others outside of the people who needs to know, but I can see that you two girls are clearly Hugo's best bet at breaking out of his shell and helping him develop more as a person, so if the two of you promise not to tell anyone what I'm about to tell you, then I'll let you in on a little secret."

"My lips are sealed," Lisa replied, and Darcy nodded in agreement with what Lisa said.

Sighing in a mildly resigned tone, Ms. Shrinivas said, "Okay, here's the deal. Hugo is basically afraid of making friends."

A confused look on her face, Darcy said, "Why would anyone be afraid of that?"

"Ms. Shrinivas," Lisa began, "Would it be accurate to say that Hugo suffers from some form of social anxiety disorder?"

"I'm…afraid so, Lisa," Ms. Shrinivas said with a nod in the affirmative, "And that is part of the reason why I'm so proud of you and Darcy trying to become friends with Hugo. Establishing a friendship with him should help Hugo begin to overcome his social anxiety." With a gentle smile, Ms. Shrinivas continued, "Once the school deals with this mess concerning those three fifth-grade boys bullying Hugo, I strongly suggest that you two girls continue trying to become friends with Hugo."

"You can count on us!" Darcy said in a confident tone as she saluted Ms. Shrinivas. Lisa, for her part, merely nodded in the affirmative, as she was thinking about what her teacher just told her.

…

Lisa was silent during the ride back home from school that day. This is normally expected of the brainy Loud sibling, as her older siblings usually have some story to tell. After Lana concluded a story she was telling, everyone in Vanzilla aside from Lisa and Lucy laughed in amusement. This covered Lincoln, Lola, Lana herself, and Lori, their older sister who came to pick them up from school.

"Knowing Lynn, I bet that she would literally love to hear that story when we get home," Lori remarked with a laugh, "Seriously. Taking on three boys Lincoln's age on your own, and still winning? You'd give Bobby's sister a run for her money."

"If I ever run for student body president, you're going to be my head of security," Lola said to her older twin sister, "End of discussion."

"Do I get to wear a suit and sunglasses?" Lana asked.

With an amused smirk, Lola replied as she turned to look out the window, "Whatever you want, Lana." After a bit more laughter from some of the Loud siblings, Lucy, one of the siblings who was being silent, turned her attention to the other silent Loud.

"I noticed that you haven't said anything about Lana beating up three fifth graders on her own, Lisa," Lucy remarked, drawing the attention of the other Loud siblings in RWES to their brainy younger sister.

"Yeah, and don't say that you're surprised, because you were right there on the playground when I told you," Lana added.

"My staying silent has nothing to do with that, I assure you," Lisa replied.

"Then what's up?" Lola asked.

"It's about the boy who Lana saved from being bullied earlier," Lisa began to explain. With a slightly greater hint of regret in her tone, the Brainy Loud sibling continued, "It's that Hugo boy I was talking about yesterday."

"You do seem rather interested in him, now that you mention it," Lucy remarked, "What's up with that?"

"He…he reminds me of me," Lisa said, "Back before I had any friends. Looking back on how I was prior to becoming friends with Darcy, I realized how, even with all that I have accomplished over my four years of life so far, my life lacked meaning." Sighing in a resigned tone, Lisa went on, "Living life has no meaning if there's no one to share all of the enjoyable experiences with. Now that I know the full extent of what that means, I wouldn't want anyone to go through life in solitude, because what sort of life is that?"

"Umm…wow," Lori remarked in a mildly shocked tone from the front seat, "I literally thought that I'd never hear anything like that come from you, of all people." Most of the other Loud siblings in Vanzilla at the time said various things that all basically lined up with what Lori had just said. The only one who said anything different was Lincoln.

"Lisa," Lincoln began, "Go for it."

"Excuse me?" Lisa replied, sounding mildly lost.

"I think you should go for trying to befriend that Hugo boy," Lincoln explained, "From what you told me and our sisters here, Hugo could really use a friend. And you're just the person who can fill that role."

"Just don't experiment on him, alright?" Lori said, "It's bad enough you couldn't go one day after befriending that Darcy girl before you experimented on her."

"Having Darcy taste-test a new snack that I invented does NOT count as experimenting on her!" Lisa shot back.

* * *

The next school day, Hugo was, once again, sitting in the back of Ms. Shrinivas's Kindergarten class. The young boy, still rattled by his experience from yesterday, wanted nothing more than for no one to notice that he was even in the classroom at all. In a move that was both unfortunate and fortunate for Hugo, however, his hopes were dashed.

"Thanks again for recommending the strawberry milk," a familiar voice said, prompting Hugo to look up from where he was finger-painting. He saw that Lisa, along with Darcy, had come up to him. It had been Lisa who had spoken. "It was really quite good," Lisa went on to say, "And I would like to apologize for not properly introducing myself earlier. I am Lisa Loud."

"Darcy Helmandollar," Darcy said as she gave her own name as a greeting to the shy boy.

After a few seconds, Hugo said in a voice laced with nervous trepidation, "H-Hugo Ashveil."

Lisa was surprised by how Hugo's voice sounded. Although the brainy Loud sibling could tell full well that Hugo's voice was clearly a boy's voice, it sounded sort of like what people would expect out of painfully shy but kind-hearted _girls_. Lisa sincerely hoped that wasn't the reason why those three boys in her brother's grade were picking on Hugo yesterday.

"Anywho, I was hoping to get your opinion on another matter," Lisa stated, "Assuming of course you don't mind, that is."

"Umm, go ahead," Hugo replied.

"As you know, we are currently finger-painting trees in class right now," Lisa began, "I was planning on making the trunk of my tree blue and the leaves orange."

"I was aiming for a yellow tree trunk with purple leaves," Darcy stated.

"Umm…" Hugo replied in a voice that clearly showed he was afraid that he was going to offend the girls with what he was about to say, "…I was planning on making the trunk of my tree brown and the leaves green."

"Hmm, interesting," Lisa replied as she considered what Hugo said, "I suppose there's no beating the classics, when you get right down to it. Thanks for letting Darcy and I bounce some ideas off of you."

"Say, do you want to join us?" Darcy asked.

Hugo was surprised by what Darcy had said; she and Lisa actually want him to join them in finger-painting? Hugo never did anything with anyone because he was scared, and the incident from yesterday only further gave Hugo reason to avoid others. …But still, these two girls were being kind, and were even respecting his opinion like it mattered. Like _he_ mattered. Although still a little nervous, Hugo felt…happy? He never recalled ever feeling like that before, at least out in public. And when he gave Lisa and Darcy his answer, they both smiled again, further giving the shy boy the confidence he sorely needed.

"Sure thing," Hugo replied with a single nod.

END

Author's notes:

Although the parents in the beginning of this one-shot might have overthought things, the point remains that Lisa, as well as other kids in her class, could have recieved a failing grade in Social Skills because none of the other kids in class wanted to be friends with them. And there is also the fact that having some degree of social anxiety would make things difficult for whoever has it to socialize. I kind of wished that 'Friend or Faux' went into more detail in these areas. Still, 'Friend or Faux' is still one of my favorite episodes, partly because it gave me so much to think about.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own 'The Loud House' or any other property in this work that I did not make myself.

A collection of Loud House one-shots

The way of the sword (Plot: After Lincoln Loud gets a severe roughing up after trying to give football an honest go, things are starting to seem that the sole Loud boy will never find a physical activity. Then someone from Lori's school introduces Lincoln to Kendo…)

Rita Loud, the matriarch of the Loud family, was driving to the local football field, where two football teams composed of kids were having a game. The one team was from out of town, whereas the other team was composed of kids from Royal Woods. The Loud matriarch seemed very happy as she made her way to where the game was happening, and this did not go unnoticed by Rita's oldest child, Lori; the oldest Loud sibling, along with her sisters Leni and Luna, had accompanied their mom to where the game was going on.

"…You're happy that Lincoln's finally trying to give playing football an honest go, aren't you mom?" Lori asked.

"He can certainly use the physical activity, you know," Rita remarked, "And it's nice that Lynn is on the same team as Lincoln, along with that…umm…" Stopping short, Rita said, "Girls, I don't suppose any of you know the name of that black-haired boy that Lynn has that cute little crush on, do you?"

"You mean Ulfric?" Lori replied, "Yeah, what about him?"

"Yeah, he's on the team with your siblings," Rita explained, "I'm sorry, but I couldn't remember his name."

"But mom," Leni said, "Lynn mentions Ulfric, like, every day. How can you not remember him?"

With a mildly somber look on her face, Rita replied, "I'm just worried that he might break your sister's heart the way that little hellion Francisco did. I would never want Lynn or any of you girls or Lincoln to ever go through that kind of suffering." Shaking her head, Rita continued, "A mother has to put her kids' well-bing first and foremost, after all."

"Hey moms, I got a question," Luna began, "How come Lincoln's allowed to be on the same team as Lynn and Ulfric? They're both middle schoolers, and Lincoln's an elementary schooler."

"It's a youth group team, not a school team," Rita explained, "They tend to welcome kids of all age groups, although they try to keep the kids as close in age to each other as they can."

"Alright," Luna replied, satisfied with the answer.

Turning her attention back fully to the road in front of her, Rita said, "We're almost there, girls. You ready to congratulate your siblings on their win?"

"Assuming that they did win," Lori remarked.

"You've got to, like, have more faith in them, Lori," Leni said, "Linky, Lynn and Lynn's boyfriend are all on the same team! There's no way they can lose if they're, like, working together!"

"I didn't know Lynn and Ulfric started dating," Luna remarked in a mildly surprised but mostly confused tone.

"They haven't yet," Lori clarified, "Leni just blew things out of proportion."

"But they're, like, totes cute together," Leni defended, "They should totally go out."

Hearing her three oldest children talk with each other like this put Rita in a good mood. The Loud matriarch had a good feeling that today was going to end perfectly.

* * *

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN LINCOLN GOT HURT?!" Rita exclaimed angrily at the youth football team coach. It was true; even though Lincoln, Lynn, Ulfric and the rest of their team won the game by at least seven points, near the end of the game, several larger boys from the opposing team all tried to dogpile onto the Royal Woods team member that was trying to score a touchdown in an attempt to keep him from scoring. Instead, they accidentally tackled and dogpiled onto Lincoln instead. Although heavily bruised, Lincoln will be fine, and thankfully did not require treatment at the hospital.

"It was a total accident, ma'am," the youth football coach said apologetically, "And we contacted the parents of all of the boys that were res-"

"THAT'S STILL NO EXCUSE!" Rita exclaimed at the youth football coach, who was growing steadily more afraid of the angry blonde woman who was yelling at him. It did not help his case that Rita's feelings on the matter were shared by Rita's three daughters that she had with her.

"You are literally one of the worst youth sports coaches ever if you allowed something like this to happen," Lori snapped, "In fact, where's the coach of the team responsible?"

"A group of angry parents from the Royal Woods area are scolding him," the youth football coach explained, hoping that it would help him. Thankfully for him, Rita and her daughters seemed to simmer down somewhat due to hearing this.

While Rita and her three oldest daughters were scolding the youth football coach, they heard Lynn's voice call out, "Hey mom, Lori, Leni, Luna! Over here!" The women of the Loud family turned to see Lynn approach them, leading a group consisting of Lynn herself, Lincoln who was being supported by Lynn due to being injured, Ulfric Aesir, and a fourth boy that seemed just a little bit younger than Lincoln. This boy had fair skin and shoulder-length dark brown hair. He wore a jersey with t-shirt length sleeves; the jersey was black and yellow-gold, and had a gold number 10 on the front. The boy also wore black shorts with yellow-gold trim, white socks and black work boots.

"Is your brother going to be okay, Lynn?" the mystery boy asked in a mildly concerned tone, "I mean, he did take one heck of a beating but lived to tell the tale. He's got a warrior's resilience, that's for sure."

"I myself would be interested in seeing Lincoln continue playing with us," Ulfric remarked, "He's got speed and respectable stamina, and Andy here is right about Lincoln's resilience."

"Lincoln!" Rita exclaimed in a worried tone upon seeing her hurting son. Running right over to Lincoln, Rita got down on one knee so that she was level with Lincoln before she proceeded to examine the bruises and mild scrapes on his face. "Oh, I'm so sorry I pushed you into this, sweetie," Rita said as she looked Lincoln over, "I should have tried to find something OH MY GOODNESS YOU'RE BLEEDING!"

Looking on his left forearm, Lincoln saw a minor scrape that was bleeding; not enough to warrant treatment at the hospital, but a bandage wouldn't hurt. "I'll be fine, mom," Lincoln remarked, "Besides, I actually wanted to play on the youth group football team, remember?"

"But it was my idea in the first place to make you join a sports team," Rita remarked in a regretful tone. Shaking her head in disappointment with herself, the Loud matriarch continued, "Oh, if only I had-"

"There you are, Andy!" a female voice called out, cutting Rita off. Lori looked in the direction the voice came from, as she was all too familiar with the voice's owner. The other kids and teens turned to see what Lori was looking at, and as such they saw Allison Ace walking up, accompanied by her younger twin brother Aggro and their teenage sister Amy. Like they were back when Lori saw them at the one golf game, Allison and Aggro both had a case over their respective backs, Allison's a thin rectangular case that held her golf club, and Aggro a cloth case that most likely held a wooden sword used for practicing swordsmanship. Amy was also holding her staff that she had during the golf game.

"You played well, little brother," Allison said to the mystery boy that was with Lincoln, Lynn and Ulfric, "Surely that means that Odin had seen fit to bless you and your team, allowing you all to win."

"The Allfather's intentions are mysterious to us, are they not?" Ulfric remarked to Allison, getting her attention in the process; the Ace siblings weren't the only Norse folk living in Royal Woods, after all.

"We played well, and we won," the mystery boy, apparently named Andy, said to Allison, "But one of my teammates was injured when some players on the opposing team tried to tackle our team's quarterback."

Allison quickly shot a look at Lincoln, who was still being looked over by Rita. Allison then shifted her attention to Lori, Leni and Luna, who all stood behind their mother. "I take it that this one is one of yours, Lori Loud?" Allison asked the oldest Loud sibling while pointing to Lincoln.

"Yes, that's my little brother Lincoln," Lori replied. Pointing to Andy, Lori asked, "And this is your little brother, I take it?"

"This is Andy, yes," the seventeen-year-old Ace sister replied, "Only ten years of age, yet he already shows promise as a warrior!" Turning her attention to Andy quickly, Allison wore a look of confusion while saying, "How come you're wearing black and gold? Don't you usually wear red and white?"

"It's in the wash, remember?" Andy replied.

"Well girls," Rita said to her daughters as she got up, "We ought to get going home now. I'll look into finding a safer physical activity for Lincoln tomorrow."

"I can use him as my go-to caddy," Lori offered, "Since the golfing season is kicking up for the varsity golf team, we've been seeing a lot of play recently. Lincoln will be getting plenty of exercise carrying my golf bag for me."

"And I suppose that while you're on the subject, you're going to try to convince me to join your little golf guild again?" Allison remarked in a knowing tone, "Try to get the cherry on the top while you're at it?"

"Well it wouldn't hurt…" Lori admitted, drawing an amused chuckle out of the oldest female Ace teen. The male Ace teen, on the other hand, was giving Lincoln a look of consideration while everyone's focus was on the two talking seventeen-year-old girls. "Come on, Allison," Lori said right when Aggro came out of his thoughts, "We'd be a shoo-in to win nationals if you join the team!"

"I'm still trying to figure out why Odin had seen fit to give me his blessings whenever I play golf," Allison replied, "If I can figure out the reason why, then I can keep it up because who am I to displease the Allfather?"

"Actually, Allison," Lori replied, "I've been meaning to tell you-"

"Excuse me, ma'am," Aggro said to Rita, interrupting Lori in the process, "But can I borrow your son for a minute?" Having heard Aggro speak up just now caught everyone's attention, especially the Loud sisters who were present.

"What do you need Lincoln for?" Rita asked, curious and mildly apprehensive. In response, Aggro reached over his right shoulder, opened the cloth carrying case over his back, and drew out the bokken that was inside. Just a little over three feet in length, the bokken was a reddish-brown wood coloring. There was also some faux black leather (with red threading) wrapped around the one end, serving as the bokken's hilt.

Turning the bokken around in one hand so that the hilt was pointing outwards, Aggro tried to hand the bokken over to Lincoln. "I think that I may have an answer to your concerns about finding your son a physical activity that he can do," Aggro said while facing Rita. Turning to face Lincoln again, Aggro noticed the confused look on the face of the sole Loud boy. "Try holding Morning Sun as if it were a sword of metal," Aggro instructed the sole Loud boy.

"Morning Sun?" Rita repeated in a confused tone as Lincoln hesitantly took the offered blade.

"It is wrong that I named my bokken?" Aggro replied as he motioned for everyone to get back. When Lincoln had enough space, Aggro said, "Try swinging it, but not wildly." Confused by the instructions, Lincoln nonetheless followed them, imagining himself as a swordsman from one of the anime shows that he and his friends watched, specifically the ones that were more realistic than the fantastical swordsmen of other shows.

A straight forward swing. Two diagonal swings, one from the left and one from the right. Lincoln even held the bokken horizontally in front of him, as if he were blocking a sword strike. While Lincoln was doing this, everyone else watched, Aggro especially. The seventeen-year-old Ace boy could tell that Lincoln had no formal training, but he also saw the sparks of latent talent, not to mention an honest interest in swordsmanship. "…Not bad," Aggro remarked, prompting the sole Loud boy to stop. Turning to regard Rita, Aggro said, "Ma'am, with your permission, I would like to get your son into Kendo."

"Kendo?" Rita repeated, "What's that?"

"A Japanese martial art that draws its origins from swordsmanship," Aggro explained, "I myself have been practicing it for a good number of years now." Gesturing to Lincoln, who still held the bokken he handed to him, Aggro continued as he spoke to Rita, "You'd be surprised by the amount of physical activity your son will get out of it, and there are more benefits than just the physical ones." Turning to face Lincoln, Aggro said, "I'd like Morning Sun back now."

Still a little confused by what Aggro was talking about, Lincoln nonetheless nodded in understanding as he turned the bokken he held so that he could hand it back while its hilt pointed to Aggro. A mildly amused smile on his face, Aggro said as he took his bokken back, "And just like that, you passed my first test." That comment put a happy smile on the Loud boy's face.

Turning to face his mom, Lincoln said, "Well what do you think, mom? Would it be okay if I started Kendo?"

"Well I don't see why not," Rita replied, "Your sister's friend seems to know what he's-"

"Linky would totes love to sword fight with you," Leni said to Aggro, interrupting Rita in the process, "When should I bring Linky over for his first lesson?"

A mildly confused look on his face, Aggro said, "Umm, Kendo is not a mere child's game of pretend sword fighting. It is an actual martial art that requires discipline."

"But you'll still show Linky how to do it, right?" Leni continued.

"Well yeah, since your mother gave me the okay," Aggro replied.

"Then Linky and I will come over first thing tomorrow!" Leni said.

Casting a quick glance at Lincoln, Aggro said, "Umm, shouldn't your younger brother rest a bit first? I mean, he was roughed up quite a bit in today's football game."

"He's right, Leni," Rita said to her daughter, "Lincoln needs time to heal from his injuries."

"Oh, sorry," Leni replied, looking mildly embarrassed.

* * *

After Lincoln had sufficient time to recover from the incident during the youth group football game, he was brought over to the Ace residence by Leni and Lori; Leni because she seemed rather eager about the whole thing when she talked to Aggro, and Lori because she and her friends on the varsity golf team were still rather keen on getting the female Ace twin to join them, hopefully before the next big match against a rival school.

"I'm not going to have to buy any special equipment or anything for my Kendo lessons, am I?" Lincoln asked in a mildly concerned tone as he turned his head to look up to Lori.

"Aggro says that he has all the equipment that he'll be needing to teach you, Lincoln," Lori replied, "Granted, a lot of the equipment he told me have weird names, and I literally have no idea what he's talking about most of the time, but that's beside the point. Don't worry, Lincoln, Aggro has everything covered."

The three Loud siblings reached the front door of the Ace residence, where Lori knocked on the door. Lori's knocking was answered pretty much instantly by a booming barking coming from the other side; Lincoln jumped back in surprise due to the volume of the bark, not to mention how it came from seemingly out of nowhere as far as Lincoln knew. Seeing her little brother's reaction, Leni laid a hand on Lincoln's shoulder in a comforting gesture.

"It's okay, Linky," Leni said, "That was just Aggro's dog."

"It's Allison's dog," Lori corrected, "Aggro doesn't own a dog."

Soon enough, the front door of the Ace residence was opened, and the three Loud siblings were greeted by Aggro. "I see that you came around the time I had specified," Aggro remarked as he gestured for the Loud siblings to enter, "Punctuality is something that anyone practicing a serious discipline needs to keep in mind."

"You're disciplining Linky?" Leni asked in a worried tone, "What did he do?"

"No, Leni," Lori said, "Discipline can also mean a field of study or training. Martial arts are sometimes referred to as disciplines."

"Your sister is correct, Leni," Aggro remarked, "Rest assured that Lincoln is not in any trouble to speak of. At least as far as I am aware."

"Thank goodness," Leni said as she breathed a sigh of relief.

Chuckling in mild amusement, Aggro remarked, "Well, I'll get Lincoln started. If you two would like to stay and observe, then feel free."

"Actually, I was wondering if Allison was available," Lori began, "My friends on the varsity golf team and I are still wan-" The oldest Loud sibling was cut off when Fenrir, Allison's Tibetan Mastiff, came running up to her, nearly throwing her onto her butt on the floor in the process, as he proceeded to greet Lori as all large friendly dogs tend to do. "GAAAAA!" Lori cried out in alarm as she was surprised-tackled by a large dog who wanted to lick her face. This scene made Aggro, Leni and Lincoln laugh a bit, amused by how a large dog acted like a friendly toy breed.

* * *

Aggro led Lincoln and Leni into the Ace family's back yard; Lori was still inside the house, talking to Allison who had to rescue the oldest Loud sibling. The Ace's backyard was somewhat more spacious that the Loud's backyard, although a large outdoor kennel took up a fair portion of the backyard. A walk-in shed was in the far upper right corner (from their point of view) of the back yard, putting it opposite of the kennel.

"That's where I put Kyubi when she needs exercise outside," Aggro explained as he gestured to the kennel upon Lincoln asking about it, "But that is beside the point." Turning to face Lincoln, Aggro said, "Before we can begin, I'll need to get a size-appropriate Bogu set for you first."

"What's a Bogu?" Lincoln asked.

"It's a set of training armor that's used for practicing Kendo," Aggro explained, "Additionally, we'll have to get you fitted for a gi and a hakama. A gi is the long-sleeved jacket worn by people who practice martial arts, and a hakama is the basically the pants or skirt of the outfit, depending on if your hakama is an umanori or an andon bakama. The gi and hakama are usually worn under the Bogu. As a side note, the gi and hakama both have special methods for properly storing after use and overall care, and I will have to show you that later."

"Wow, Aggro!" Leni remarked, "I didn't know that you knew so much about fashion!"

"…Umm, what I'm talking about doesn't relate to fashion as a whole," Aggro replied in a somewhat confused tone, "At least not as much as you might be assuming." Turing to Lincoln, Aggro said, "Well then, are you ready, Lincoln? Ready to walk the way of the sword?"

The sole Loud boy was somewhat nervous, but it was a mild amount of nervousness at most. And the excitement of learning a martial art far outweighed any trepidation that he had. After he had gathered enough of his nerves, Lincoln nodded in the affirmative, saying, "I'm ready to start learning when you're ready to start teaching, Aggro-sensei."

"Oh," Aggro replied in a tone of mild amusement, "I see that you have some familiarity with honorifics." Looking upwards to the sky, Aggro continued with a look of consideration on his face, "Yeah, I'm your Kendo instructor, so I suppose that calling me sensei would be correct." Lowing his head back down so he could face Lincoln, Aggro continued, "We'll get started, but first we need to get a size-appropriate Bogu, gi and hakama for you. I can't have you training without being properly outfitted." With a small but amused smile on his face, Aggro added, "Lincoln-kun."

"Hee," Leni giggled cutely to herself, "This is going to be fun."

* * *

After Lincoln was provided with a proper outfit of a gi and hakama, and was also provided with a size-appropriate Bogu set, the sole Loud boy proceeded to put everything on, following Aggro's instructions on the matter. Once Lincoln was fully dressed, Leni took her smartphone out and snapped a picture of Lincoln in his full kendo outfit. Leni did the same after Aggro got himself fully decked in his own proper outfit for Kendo.

"Okay, we'll start with a simple spar," Aggro said as he approached Lincoln with two swords made from bamboo slats. Aggro turned the sword in his left hand around so that he could hand it to Lincoln with the hilt pointing at the sole Loud boy. "I want to get an idea of how good you are now, so I can see what and where to improve," Aggro explained.

"Huh," Lincoln remarked as he looked at the sword he held, "I didn't know that bokken could be made of bamboo."

Laughing in mild amusement, Aggro said, "No, no, Lincoln-kun. The swords that I brought out here are called shinai."

"Shinai?" Lincoln repeated in a confused tone, showing that he needed further explanation.

"Bokken are not used in sparring," Aggro said, "They are typically used in kata, in which you practice movements on your own, and not against an opponent. Do you remember the movements I asked you to perform when I had you use Morning Sun a while ago? Those movements are basically kata." Holding up the shinai he still had, Aggro continued, "Shinai, which are these bamboo swords we're holding, are used when sparring against an opponent."

Looking at the shinai that he held, Lincoln said, "Oh, okay. I'm going to want to know more about this."

"I'll be happy to lend you a book I have that covers kendo as a whole," Aggro replied, "It should be able to answer any basic questions you may have concerning the martial art."

"Thanks," Lincoln replied. Looking to the shinai he held, Lincoln said, "So, this is called a shinai?"

"It is," Aggro said with a nod in the affirmative, "Shinai also come in differing lengths and weights as there are kendo practitioners of all ages and sizes. I have multiple shinai of varying lengths and weights, but the two that I brought out with me are the same length and weight as each other."

"Is that, like, important, Aggro?" Leni asked from where she sat in a lawn chair in the yard.

"It is," Aggro remarked when he turned to face Leni, "In fact, length and weight of shinai are carefully monitored in official matches. I once made it to the final round of a kendo tournament because it was discovered that my opponent had used a heavier shinai than the one I was using. My opponent was disqualified when this cheating was discovered." Turning to face Lincoln, Aggro said, "You can learn more about length and weight regulations for shinai in the book I had mentioned earlier."

"Thanks," Lincoln replied with a nod, "I can't believe that there is so much to learn about just one aspect of Kendo."

"All good things come in time, Lincoln-kun," Aggro said, "You just have to be patient."

* * *

A few weeks had gone by since Lincoln first started his Kendo training under Aggro. The sole Loud boy would head over to the Ace residence for a few hours every day for his instruction. Leni would tag along whenever she could, and although he thought it was nice to have one of his sisters come to support him, Lincoln was rather confused as to why Leni, out of all of his sisters, would go through all of this trouble. Lincoln figured that Lynn, the more physically inclined of his sisters, would rather come and watch his Kendo practice, and maybe even ask to join.

Lisa was right; there was just no figuring out what made Leni…well, Leni.

One day at the Ace residence, after Lincoln's practice with Aggro was done for the day, Aggro said after he and Lincoln got back into their respective regular outfits, "Oh Lincoln-kun, there's going to be a Kendo tournament this Saturday at the youth center. Would you be interested in going to watch?"

"There's a Kendo tournament at the youth center?" Lincoln asked.

"It's for kids in the Royal Woods area," Aggro explained, "It'll be similar to the youth group football game in which you and a bunch of kids were playing against a similar team from the next town over." Standing up, Aggro said as he rolled his shoulders, "I figured that you might learn a lot from watching others compete."

"Why can't Linky, like, enter the tournament himself?" Leni asked; today had been one of the many days in which Leni came along to watch Lincoln's training.

"Well, technically, Lincoln-kun can enter if he wants to," Aggro replied in an 'ehh' kind of tone, "And the tournament's basically open to any kid who wishes to enter, regardless of how much training, if any, they have. I'm still trying to figure out what the people organizing the tournament are even thinking with that." To Lincoln and Leni, Aggro said, "I suppose that if Lincoln-kun feels confident about it, I won't stop him from entering. Although personally, I'd rather that he spends more time practicing and training before he enters such an event."

"But Linky's had you as his teacher," Leni pointed out, "And you're, like, the best person at this! Surely that means that Linky's ready!"

Laughing in a good-natured tone, Aggro replied, "Thanks for the flattery, but I seriously doubt that I'm the best." Turning his head to face Lincoln, Aggro said, "Well Lincoln-kun, do you think you're ready to enter the tournament?"

With a shrug, Lincoln replied, "There's only one real way to find out."

Smirking in mild amusement, Aggro said, "I like that attitude. Going to the tournament will be a valuable learning experience either way, but there is more to gleam from doing rather than watching." Stretching his arms, Aggro said, "You'll have to ask for your parents' permission to enter, but if they give you the okay, then I'll look into getting you signed up."

"EEEEEE!" Leni squealed excitedly, "This is so exciting! Linky's going to compete in a sword fighting game!"

Sighing in mild exasperation, Aggro pinched the bridge of his nose while saying, "It's an actual martial art."

* * *

When the day of the tournament came, Lincoln and Aggro found themselves at the local youth center, standing in a gymnasium at the youth center. "It's a good thing that I was able to sign you up ahead of time," Aggro remarked to his student, "As it turns out, there's something of a shortage when it comes to the Bogu sets. At least they have enough shinai for everyone."

"More than enough, if you ask me," Lincoln remarked, "I saw a container with a bunch of them sticking out of it."

"Shinai may break or splinter, which would make them unsafe for use," Aggro explained. As Lincoln nodded in understanding to what Aggro had said, the two boys heard Leni's voice call out, getting their attention in the process. The two boys turned to see Rita and all of Lincoln's sisters come walking up.

"This is really exciting," Rita remarked, "My son's first tournament!"

"Leni said that you're going to be doing a serious version of the play sword fighting that we do whenever Lola and I can convince you to play Knights and castles with us," Lana said, "Is that true, Lincoln? Are you going to be a knight?"

"Well, the tournament I'm going to enter is a serious version of when I play with you girls," Lincoln replied, "Although it's not actually playing. Also, I think I'd be more akin to a samurai than a knight."

" _Heh_ ," Aggro thought in amusement as he watched Lana ask Lincoln a million questions, " _Just like Anna_."

* * *

The tournament went under way, and the people who had gathered watched as match after match went on. Although Aggro had a respectable amount of faith in Lincoln's skills, the male Ace twin was not expecting Lincoln to win; this was the first tournament that Lincoln even entered, and people seldom ever win the first tournament that they ever enter. Even so, after Lincoln made it past the first few rounds, Aggro had thought that Lincoln had already shown sufficient enough skill to be proud of. The male Ace twin fully intended to praise Lincoln after the tournament was over, even if Lincoln ended up getting eliminated.

But Lincoln wasn't eliminated; in fact, he made it to the final round.

" _Well I have certainly been proven wrong_. _I owe Lincoln_ - _kun an apology for underestimating him_ ," Aggro thought after Lincoln won his last match before the final round, although Aggro was having trouble thinking due to the fact that, as he was seated right in front of them on the bleachers in the gymnasium, Lincoln's sisters and mother were all cheering at the top of their lungs. Leave it to the Louds to live up to their family name, eh?

"This is, like, totes exciting, girls," Leni remarked to the rest of her siblings, "Linky made it to the final round!"

"I will admit," Lori began, "I was not expecting Lincoln to make it this far. I also wasn't expecting him to be in any sort of competition like this in the first place."

"His entering in this competition was actually Leni's idea," Aggro remarked, turning his head to face the Loud girls sitting behind him, "I was originally planning on bringing him here merely to observe the other competitors in the tournament, as there is much one can learn from watching others practice the art. But Leni had a lot of faith that Lincoln-kun would be able to do well with what I had taught him so far." Shaking his head gently, Aggro continued, "I see now that Leni's faith was well placed."

"I'm surprised that you're surprised that Lincoln's doing so well," Lynn remarked when she turned her head slightly to face Aggro, "I mean, doing well in sporting competitions and other similar venues like this runs in our family's veins. Take a look at me, for example. Some of my awesomeness at physical activities must have rubbed off on Lincoln."

A small but amused smile on his face, Aggro replied, "Is that so."

"It _IS_ so," Lynn insisted.

"Hey Aggro," Leni began, "I don't suppose that you, like, know who Linky's going to go up against in the final round, do you?"

"Well I have been keeping track of all of the competitors," Aggro remarked as he pulled out a list that had some names written on it; some of the names were crossed out. "…Ah yes, here we are," Aggro said when he found what he was looking for on the list, "Your brother will be going up against a thirteen-year-old boy named Francisco."

Suddenly, Lynn's eyes shot wide open. "…What?" the sporty Loud sibling said, no visible emotion in her tone.

"Is there a problem, young lady?" Aggro asked, arching an eyebrow in mild confusion.

Sighing in a resigned tone, Lori said, "That Francisco boy you just mentioned, Aggro. Lynn used to have a crush on him, but then when the baseball team Francisco belonged to tried to cheat in an official game against the team that Lynn belonged to, and that cheating was discovered, Lynn was pretty much devastated, even though Francisco didn't commit any of the cheating himself." Shaking her head gently, Lori said, "Thank goodness that it didn't go beyond the crush stage. If they had actually been dating at the time, I don't know what would have happened."

"…Oh my," Aggro remarked in a mildly concerned tone. To Lynn specifically, Aggro asked, "You are doing better now, aren't you?"

"I am doing better, yes," Lynn replied, "And I found a new crush who has a far stronger sense of honor than Francisco ever had." Shaking her head gently, Lynn said, "But that's beside the point. The point here now is that Lincoln is totally going to mop the floor with Francisco."

"One can only hope," Aggro replied as he and everyone he was talking to turned to face forward so they can watch the match between Lincoln and Francisco. As the two boys stepped up to take their respective places, the cheering in the gymnasium reached a fever pitch, in no small part thanks to a family, who literally had Loud as their last name, cheering for their only son, their only brother. They gave it their all, in hopes that the sole Loud boy would win.

…

"Game, set and match!" the referee for the Kendo tournament announced, "Francisco wins!" The audience in the youth center gymnasium cheered loudly at the announcement of the winner, although a certain family wasn't all that happy with the outcome.

"I can't believe that bastard won!" Lynn swore vengefully, "I ought to put a knuckle sandwich right into the center of his face!"

"I understand that you're upset your younger brother lost," Aggro said to the sporty Loud, "And to a boy who broke your heart, no less. But in all fairness, it was a fair match. You should be proud of the fact that Lincoln-kun made it to the final round of the first tournament that he ever entered. Even I wasn't expecting that, given how recently I've started tutoring him in Kendo."

Sighing in a relenting tone, Lynn replied, "I know, I know. But I still can't-"

"Hey, what are those guys talking to the referee about?" Leni asked, cutting Lynn off as she pointed to two men talking to the referee. After a few seconds, the referee called Francisco over, and apparently asked to see his shinai. Receiving the shinai from Lynn's former crush, the referee then picked up one of the shinai that was made standard for the tournament, and proceeded to compare the two bamboo swords, as if to try and see some sort of quality that the two of them had.

"Attention everyone!" the referee announced, "There's been a mistake! Francisco's been disqualified, meaning that Lincoln wins!"

"Linky actually won?" Leni nearly exclaimed, "Hooray!"

"Wait a minute," Lynn began in a suspicious tone, "What did the referee mean by saying that Francisco was disqualified?"

"…I was hoping something like this wouldn't happen in a tournament that Lincoln-kun entered," Aggro remarked in a mildly grim tone, "But since the referee was comparing the shinai he received from that Francisco boy to one of the standard issue shinai for the tournament, I think that Francisco was using a heavier shinai than the one that Lincoln-kun was using."

"…So…" Lynn said quietly as an angry and violent storm started to brew within her, "…Are you saying that-"

"Francisco was disqualified for cheating, yes," Aggro interrupted, "Although if it makes you feel any better, this means that your brother won the first Kendo tournament that he ever entered."

"…I'm going to destroy him," Lynn said in regards to Francisco, "Both for cheating in a sporting slash martial art event and for cheating against my little brother."

"She'll cool down once I take her and all of her siblings out at the pizza place to celebrate Lincoln winning," Rita said to Aggro. Both Rita and Aggro looked worried about Lynn.

* * *

The following day, Lincoln was standing in front of the family trophy case with Lynn and Leni; inside of the trophy case in a space reserved for Lincoln was a first-place trophy, about one foot tall, signifying that Lincoln had won a Kendo tournament. "Hey, what happened to that little trophy we made for Linky?" Leni asked.

"Lola and Lana were trying to wrestle Charles into some outfit, and in the struggle, they bumped into the trophy case hard enough to make it pop open and cause some of the awards inside to fall out," Lynn explained, "The trophy we made for Lincoln was broken, along with two trophies I got for playing baseball."

"Oh geez, I'm sorry to hear that," Lincoln said to his sporty sibling.

Shrugging, Lynn replied, "Meh, I still got plenty." Gesturing to the trophy case, Lynn said, "But that's beside the point, Lincoln. Not only is this the first trophy that you won, but it's a first-place one, too! The first trophy that I ever won is a second-place trophy." Shaking her head gently, Lynn said in a mild but sincere tone of congratulations, "Looks like you got me beat this time, Linc."

Nodding in acknowledgement, Lincoln said, "Thanks, Lynn." The three siblings turned their attention back to the trophy case, still looking at the trophy that Lincoln had won.

END

Author's Note:

Francisco having used that specific shinai against Lincoln in their match will actually be a plot point in a future one-shot. But that specific one-shot won't happen for quite some time yet. Still, Lincoln now has an activity that keeps him active (which Rita wanted) and has a nice trophy to show for it (which was something that he wanted in one of the episodes). I would like to think that this has smoothed out some feathers.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own 'The Loud House' or any other property in this work that I did not make myself.

A collection of Loud House one-shots

Chandler gets rusty (Plot: When Chandler, a popular boy at Royal Woods Elementary School, gets outshone by someone, the conceited boy gets jealous and carries out a revenge plot against the kid who outshone him, not caring what group of friends he drives apart in the process.)

" _Life is good_ ," thought Chandler, a student at Royal Woods Elementary School, one day during recess as he sat beneath some shade, his hands resting behind his head as he leaned against a wall while sitting on the ground. The eleven-year-old boy thought that he had it made. To his credit, Chandler wasn't too far off the mark. As one of the most popular kids at school, Chandler was someone whose mere presence commanded respect; it was not wise to get on Chandler's nerves, or to otherwise be someone Chandler wasn't all that fond of.

Getting up, Chandler stretched a bit as he was approached by two boys. The first boy had black hair, wore a red hoodie, blue jeans and white shoes. The second boy was a somewhat well-fed boy with blonde hair that stood up; the second boy also wore a yellow t-shirt under a greet short-sleeved casual dress shirt that was open in the front, brown shorts and sandals. These two boys were Chandler's friends, although it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to liken the relationship between Chandler and these two boys as leader and goons, rather than actual friends.

"Hey Chandler," the first boy said, "You know that Rusty Spokes guy?"

"Doesn't his dad work at 'Duds for Dudes'?" Chandler asked rhetorically.

"I've always been under the impression that Mr. Spokes actually owns that place," the first boy remarked, "But that's beside the point. Anywho, Rusty got himself one of those fidget spinners."

"You don't say," Chandler said before he reached into the front right pocket on his pants and pulled out a fidget spinner himself. It was a gold-colored one that looked rather impressive, even though it clearly wasn't made of actual gold (it was made from the same material as any other similar toy).

"Here's the thing, though," the second boy began, "Rusty's been performing all of these neat tricks with his fidget spinner. He's even managed to gather a crowd of on-lookers!"

The expression on Chandler's face changed just slightly, but it was enough to show that the conceited boy did not like the fact that someone other than him was the center of attention. "Boys," Chandler said to his goons/friends as he casually slipped his toy back into his pocket, "It looks like we've got to put someone back in their place."

…

Over in another area of the playground of Royal Woods Elementary School, a group of kids were standing around in a crowd as, in the center of the crowd, Rusty Spokes was performing a series of impressive tricks with a fidget spinner. Two of the students in the crowd were actually friends of Rusty's, those being Clyde and Zach.

"Wow, Rusty's really good," Zach remarked, "Makes me wish I had one of those things myself."

"There's actually some reports that those spinners are effective stress-release tools," Clyde stated. Looking back to where Rusty was performing tricks, Clyde added, "I can see how people would think that."

"Stand aside, everyone," a voice familiar to Clyde and Zach called out; suddenly, the crowd parted, allowing Chandler and his goon-friends to walk in. It had been Chandler who had called out. Pulling his own spinner from his pocket, Chandler said, "Let a real pro show you how it's done."

"Oh great," Clyde muttered to Zach, "Chandler's being an oaf again."

"I wish someone would put him in his place already," Zach muttered back to Clyde, drawing a nod of agreement from the African American boy.

Scoffing in an annoyed tone, Rusty said, "What do you want now, Chandler?"

"I heard talk that you're pretty good at performing tricks with that," Chandler remarked in his casual, cocky tone while pointing to Rusty's spinner, a standard red one. Holding up his golden-colored spinner, Chandler continued with a heavy hint of overconfidence in his tone, "Let's see who's better at this, hmm?"

"You're on," Rusty replied right before taking the first move of the impromptu schoolyard duel. Gently pinching one of the circular pads on one of the outer points, Rusty then flung the spinner into the air; when it fell down, the spinner landed with it's on the middle circle on the tip of Rusty's right index finger, where Rusty proceeded to spin it like he was a pizza maker spinning and tossing pizza dough.

"Ha!" Chandler laughed, "You think that's impressive? Watch this!" Chandler flung his spinner into the air, and then held up his right pinky finger, intending to catch his spinner the way Rusty caught his on his index finger. However, Chandler's spinner landed right on his face with a smack, drawing a surprised yelp from the conceited boy. As a result of Chandler's fail, a lot of the gathered kids pointed and laughed at Chandler.

"Umm…what was that supposed to be?" Rusty asked, arching an eyebrow in confusion.

"Grr," Chandler growled in an annoyed tone, "This isn't over, Rusty." Chandler then proceeded to turn and walk away, followed by his goon-friends as always.

After Chandler was gone, Clyde and Zach turned to face each other where they stood in the crowd. "Man, was that satisfying to watch!" Clyde remarked to his friend.

"You know it, dude!" Zach agreed as he and Clyde high-fived each other.

* * *

"How dare he!" Chandler fumed as he and his goon-friends sat in the school library. "How dare Rusty show me up like that," Chandler snarled angrily, "Someone ought to put him in his place!"

"Maybe we can pull a prank on him that embarrasses him in front of everyone?" the first boy suggested, "I was thinking we can stuff his locker full of garbage so that when he opens it, it spills down on him, covering him. Or maybe one of us can impersonate the announcement lady on the intercom, and say over the intercom that Rusty's mom came to the school to drop off some fresh underwear for him."

"That first idea sounds like something a girl would do when bullying a boy that she likes," Chandler remarked, "As for the second idea, none of us can pull off even a halfway decent impression of the announcement lady."

"How about we frame Rusty as a bully?" the second boy suggested.

An expression of piqued interest on his face, Chandler said, "Go on."

"I was thinking that we can set up a really mean prank," the second boy explained, "And I mean _really_ mean, have one of the girls here at school, the younger the better, get hit by the prank, then we tell everyone that we saw Rusty run off right after the prank took place, thereby implicating him as the kid who bullied a girl."

With a look of being honestly impressed, Chandler said, "…Not bad, man. Not bad at all. Okay, we'll do that. The question is what girl do we pull the prank on?"

"She'll have to be alone somewhere, so we won't get caught," the second boy remarked, "Plus, the girl has to be so absorbed in some activity that she isn't aware we're around."

"I got the perfect girl in mind!" the first boy said with a snap of his fingers.

…

Chandler and his goon-friends were peeking out from behind a wall, looking at where an eight-year-old girl was sitting alone. She had somewhat pale skin, black hair that was long enough so that her bangs covered her eyes, and she wore a black dress, black shoes, black-and-white stripped stockings and black-and-white stripped arm warmers. The girl was currently sitting on a bench, writing something in a journal she had on her lap.

"Hey, it's that weird goth girl who writes a lot of poetry," the second boy said quietly, "I forget what her name is."

"It doesn't matter," Chandler whispered, "She's the perfect target. Anywho, when you guys are done with your part, I'll scream to get some peoples' attention. A good thing Rusty's nowhere close to here, so he won't have an alibi to keep us from framing him." At Chandler's instruction, his goon-friends picked up a large garbage can and carried it over to where the goth girl was sitting on the bench. The goth girl, too absorbed in her writing, wasn't even aware that there were two older boys were sneaking up on her with a garbage can.

Suddenly, the two boys turned the trash can over and shoved it over the goth girl, making her cry out in alarm. Without saying anything, the two boys ran back to where Chandler was peeking out from around the corner. "You two go hide somewhere," Chandler instructed, "I'm going to carry out my part of the plan." Chandler's goon-friends nodded in understanding and took off. When they were gone, Chandler walked to approximately between where he was hiding and where the goth girl was struggling to get out of the garbage can that was shoved onto her.

Turning around in place, Chandler shouted in the direction he came from, "Hey! Get back here! The heck is wrong with you, picking on a girl who's smaller than you?!" The noise Chandler was making with his shouting was enough to draw no less than a dozen other students and a teacher, Mrs. Johnson, to investigate. To Chandler's mild irritation (which he was good at hiding), four of the students were Rusty's friends, Clyde, Zach, Liam and Lincoln.

"What happened here, Chandler?" Mrs. Johnson asked, "Why were you Oh my goodness someone shoved a trash can onto one of the students!"

"Yeah, I just saw Rusty run past here," Chandler said in a faux worried tone (which no one could tell was faked), "He was chuckling to himself, so I decided to check to see what he thought was so funny." Pointing to where the goth girl was still struggling to get out of the garbage can, Chandler continued, "That's when I saw that this had happened."

"Are you sure it was Rusty?" Clyde asked in a skeptical tone, "This doesn't sound like something that he would do."

"Well I've always known Chandler to tell the truth to me to the best of his knowledge, so it had to have been Rusty," Mrs. Johnson remarked confidently. Sighing in a regretful tone, Mrs. Johnson continued, "I guess the school will have to call Rusty's parents about this. Rusty may even get suspended for this."

"I can't believe that Rusty would do something like bully a little girl," Liam remarked as he walked over to help the goth girl out. Liam said as he pulled the trash can off, "This act is lower than a-"

"LUCY!" Lincoln exclaimed in alarm, cutting Liam off in the process as he ran over to help the goth girl, who turned out to be Lucy, up off of the ground.

"Wait a minute, Larry," Chandler said in a mildly confused tone, "You know this girl?"

"She's my little sister," Lincoln said as he flicked an empty snack wrapper off of Lucy's shoulder.

"You should take her to the nurse's office, Lincoln," Mrs. Johnson suggested as she and the other students stepped to the side to let the two Loud siblings pass. After Lincoln and Lucy were gone, Mrs. Johnson pulled out a walkie talkie and used it to call for one of the men working at the school as a safety monitor. As the students began to leave the scene, Chandler thought that things couldn't have gone more smoothly even if he had planned them ahead of time. Not only was Rusty going to get suspended for (supposedly) bullying a little girl, but the girl in question is the sister of one of Rusty's friends.

" _Life is good_ ," Chandler thought in a self-satisfied manner as he left the scene with some of the remaining students.

* * *

"I seriously can't believe it!" Lincoln said to Clyde, Zach and Liam the next day during lunch, "How could Rusty bully Lucy like that?!"

"Wait, does Rocky know?" Zach asked, "He and Lucy are kind of close, aren't they?"

"He knows, alright," Clyde remarked, "Yesterday, I saw Rocky kick his older brother in the shins a few times. I also saw Mr. Spokes shout angrily at Rusty a bit when he came to pick him up after being suspended."

"And the guy still had the nerve to claim that he was innocent," Liam remarked as he shook his head, "For shame."

As the four friends were talking, Chandler and his goon-friends, who sat at a different table but were close enough to hear, listened in on the conversation. "I can't believe it," Chandler whispered to the boys, "Not only did we pull our plan off without a hitch, but it came with the added bonus of turning Rusty's friends against him!"

"Pretty sweet, Chandler," the first boy said as he and Chandler high-fived each other.

"So now what?" the second boy asked, "I mean, we got Rusty in trouble, so what's next?"

"Rusty comes back to school on Monday," Chandler remarked, "I say that we make thing a bit interesting for his return in the meanwhile." The three boys chuckled darkly amongst themselves, already planning on how to make Rusty's life at school a total pain in the rear when the red-haired boy returns to Royal Woods Elementary.

* * *

The following Monday, Rusty Spokes walked through the front door of Royal Woods Elementary, his suspension having been served. When he entered, he was shoulder rammed in the stomach by Tabby. "Ow!" Rusty exclaimed. Rubbing his stomach to sooth the pain as he got up, Rusty snapped, "What was that for?!"

"What was shoving that trash can over a girl for?!" the young rock music enthusiast snapped back angrily, "And don't you dare try to claim you didn't do it!"

"But I really didn't-" Rusty began, only to be cut off by a foot slam in his stomach, courtesy of Tabby again.

"I warned you, didn't I?!" Tabby snapped, "Nothing ticks me off more than a clearly guilty person trying to say he's not guilty!"

As this went on, a number of students gathered and watched as Tabby struck Rusty whenever the latter would try to claim that he didn't bully anyone. As this went on, two more girls, Penelope and Girl Jordan, joined Tabby in giving Rusty a (literally) rough time. Watching the three girls embarrass Rusty like that were Chandler and his friend-goons, who watched with a healthy and even mix of awe, respect and mild fear.

"Wow," Chandler remarked to his friend-goons, "Rusty is lucky that Ronnie Anne is no longer a student here since her family moved. Otherwise she would have joined in on this by now."

"If she did, there wouldn't be a Rusty left afterwards, dude," the second boy said to Chandler, "Remember the time that the three of us fought Ronnie Anne three-on-one and still lost?"

Shuddering due to being reminded of a rather unpleasant memory, Chandler said, "I think we're all lucky that Ronnie Anne is no longer around." The two boys nodded in agreement with their boss-friend as all three of them turned their attention back the scene where Tabby, Penelope and Girl Jordan were hitting Rusty in the stomach repeatedly.

* * *

Later that day during lunch, Chandler and his goon-friends were sitting at their usual table, looking over to the usual table that Rusty's friends sat at. To Chandler's surprise, Lucy and Rocky were both sitting with Rusty's friends. The conceited boy then saw Rusty approach the table. "Hey boys," Chandler said to his goon-friends, getting their attention. Pointing to where Rusty was walking to, Chandler said, "We should watch this. It's going to be awesome."

Over at the table were Lincoln, Clyde, Liam, Zach, Lucy and Rocky sat, Rusty said, "Umm, hey guys. Room for one m-"

"Ahh!" Lucy exclaimed in surprise upon seeing Rusty, immediately ducking under the cafeteria table she sat at out of fear.

"Rusty, what was that for?!" Lincoln snapped at the red-headed boy, "Haven't you made Lucy suffer enough?"

"All I was trying to do was ask if I could sit down here!" Rusty defended.

"Sorry man, but we gave your seat to your brother," Zach replied in a neutral yet cool tone.

"Oh, come on, you guys!" Rusty complained in a mildly annoyed tone, "You guys don't seriously believe that I shoved a trash can over one of Lincoln's little sisters, do you?"

"With all due respect, you don't have an alibi to account for where you were during the time the accident took place," Clyde pointed out as he regarded Rusty with a suspicious look.

"Seriously?" Rusty replied, "You guys aren't even going to give me a chance to defend myself?"

"Why do you need to defend yourself?" Rocky asked his older brother in an accusing tone, "You're a bully. You don't need to defend yourself, others need to defend themselves from you."

"Well spoken, Rocky," Liam remarked as he praised the younger Spokes boy for his explanation.

"Really, Rocky?" Rusty asked in a mildly disbelieving tone, "You're going to side against your own flesh and blood on this."

"Well how would you like it if I bullied a girl that you liked?" Rocky retorted.

Losing his temper, Rusty snapped, "FOR THE LAST TIME, I DID NOT-"

"AHHHH!" Lucy cried out in alarm and fear, cutting Rusty off because she freaked upon hearing him raise his voice. The gothic Loud sibling then proceeded to start actually crying.

"That's it," Lincoln said in an annoyed and angry tone as he got up from the cafeteria table and walked up to confront Rusty. Putting his face right up into Rusty's, Lincoln said, "Rusty, you better leave right now before I tell Principle Huggins-"

"Tell me what?" an older male voice called out, cutting the sole Loud boy off as he and everyone else within earshot turned to see that Wilbur Huggins, the principal of Royal Woods Elementary School, had walked into the cafeteria. "I got a call from one of the safety monitors that there was a commotion going on in the cafeteria," Huggins said, "And as principal, I will not stand for commotions here at school!"

"Rusty's picking on Lincoln's little sister Lucy again," Liam said while pointing accusingly at the red-headed boy.

Turing his head to regard Rusty, Huggins said, "What do you have to say for yourself, young man?"

"I swear I didn't bully anyone!" Rusty claimed as he started to freak out, afraid that he was going to get into more trouble.

"Oh," Huggins said calmly in a casual tone, "I guess we'll just drop this subject altogether and have an apology letter written and sent to you."

"Really?" Rusty said, "Whew, I'm glad that someone finally-"

"NOT!" Huggins exclaimed, cutting Rusty off mid-sentence, "Young man, you will be coming with me to my office this instant! It's quite obvious that a three-day suspension was not enough to get you to see the error of your ways." Turing around, Huggins said, "I believe a _SIX_ -day suspension might be the trick. And I'll warn you not to press your luck after that, young man!"

"SIX DAYS?!" Rusty exclaimed, looking more freaked out than he ever did.

After Huggins escorted Rusty out of the cafeteria and over to his office, some of the students who had been watching the scene began to cheer for Lincoln. "Alright, Lincoln!" Penelope cheered from where she sat with Tabby and Girl Jordan, "Way to go for standing up to that jerk who bullies girls!" While the other students continued to cheer for Lincoln, with a select few other students checking in on Lucy to make sure she was okay, Chandler leaned in to whisper to his goon-friends.

"Rusty's status is falling more and more," Chandler whispered to his goon-friends, "This is going great!"

"Hey Chandler," the second boy began quietly in a mildly curious tone, "Principal Huggins said something about how Rusty better not press his luck after serving the six-day suspension. What do you think he meant by that?"

"I think that Principal Huggins was possibly talking about expelling Rusty from school," the first boy remarked. Having heard his first goon-friend state this theory, Chandler was struck by a sudden idea.

"Hey," Chandler began in a maliciously mischievous tone that showed he liked the sound of what his first goon-friend had said, "Rusty getting expelled from the school." Nodding his head slowly, Chandler went on, "That will certainly serve the jerk right for showing me up in front of everyone." To his goon-friends, Chandler said, "What do you say, boys?"

"You think that we might be able to paint ourselves as heroes in the process, Chandler?" the second boy asked.

"Hey, yet another great idea," Chandler remarked, "Not only will Rusty be put in his place for daring to make me look like a fool, but the other kids here will think that we're the coolest boys at the school!" Pointing at his second goon-friend in a commending manner, Candler said, "I like the way you think."

* * *

Six school days later, Rusty walked through the front doors of Royal Woods Elementary, once again having returned from serving a suspension that lasted multiple days. Things could not be going worse for the red-headed boy, either; he was grounded indefinitely by his father, his little brother refused to speak to him, and all of his friends don't believe that he didn't bully Lincoln's little sister Lucy. Sighing in a resigned tone, Rusty figured that he might as well get the school day over with, knowing full well everyone will act in an accusing manner towards him.

As Rusty walked, he heard a male voice call out to him, "Hey, Rusty!" Recognizing the voice as Chandler's, Rusty turned around to see the popular boy walk up to him.

"What do you want, Chandler?" Rusty asked in an annoyed tone, "Are you here to chew me out for something I didn't do, just like everyone else has been doing?"

"No, actually," Chandler said, "In fact, I wondering if you can do me a solid."

Arching an eyebrow in suspicion, Rusty said, "What do you mean?"

"One of my buds is over in the library," Chandler began, "He texted me just now, asking if he can take a look at my math homework. I'd do it myself, as I have no problem helping my friends out with their homework, but I need to meet with Mrs. Johnson because she's got me slated to look after Frances this weekend, and there's no way I can do that since I have family obligations to take care of during that period."

Chandler then took off his backpack, opened it, and pulled out a spiral-bound notebook; a few pages in it were torn out but stuck back in. "Here's my math notebook," Chandler said, "Can you take care of this for me?"

Rusty starred at him for a few seconds before saying, "Which friend of yours is it?"

"It's the big dude with blonde hair," Chandler explained, "You can't miss him."

"Alright," Rusty replied as he received the notebook from Chandler, "It's nice to see that someone around here actually trusts me."

Rusty then turned around and proceeded to walk to the library. Right when Rusty was out of sight, Chandler pulled a cell phone from his pocket, wrote a simple two-worded text 'get ready', then sent it off. Chandler then slipped the cell phone back into his pocket and took an alternative path to the library.

* * *

Chandler's first goon-friend was in one of the aisles of bookshelves in the school library, pretending that he was browsing the shelves as a cover while he was actually making sure that Lucy Loud, who sat at a table on the other side of the bookshelf, didn't go anywhere. Chandler had come up with a plan to ruin Rusty's reputation at the school once and for all, beyond any hope of repair, and it involved making it seem like Rusty had, once again, bullied Lucy.

Looking through the bookshelf he was at to spy on Lucy, Chandler's first goon-friend saw that the gothic Loud sibling was writing something in her journal or poetry book, and that there was a stack of other reading material out by Lucy's open backpack. Chandler's first goon-friend was mildly surprised to see a book for some tabletop RPG game sitting on the top of the stack of various reading material, but dismissed this an inconsequential.

While he was spying on Lucy, Chandler's first goon-friend was surprised to see another gothic student at the school, Haiku, walk up to and join Lucy. "Hey Lucy," Haiku greeted in a similar monotone to Lucy's own, "Sorry that I haven't been able to speak with you as of late. How are you doing?"

"How am I doing?" Lucy said, the barest hint of fear seeping through her monotone, "I'm at my wit's end, for crying out loud! I feel like a monster is going to jump out at me from the shadows to scare me at any moment!"

"I thought that you would like to have a vampire jump out at you from the shadows," Haiku replied, a hint of concern seeping through her monotone.

"I'm not talking about vampires, Haiku," Lucy clarified, "In fact, running into a vampire _is_ something that I would really like. No, I'm talking about an _actual_ monster."

"Oh," Haiku replied as she realized what her friend was talking about, "You mean that Rusty fellow who supposedly bullied you. Actually, I've been meaning to talk to you about that."

" _Supposedly_ bullied me?" Lucy asked, sounding mildly confused, "What do you mean _supposedly_ bullied me? What are you talking about, Haiku?"

"I've been doing a little digging on that," Haiku explained, "And I've reached the conclusion that there is no way Rusty could have shoved a trash can over your head." Having heard the other goth girl say this made Chandler's first goon-friend wince in nervousness; this girl didn't find out _all_ of the truth, did she? If that were the case, then he and the others would be in a world of trouble.

"What do you mean it wasn't him?" Lucy asked.

"I checked one of the trash cans here around the school that was of the same model that was shoved onto you," Haiku began, "Even if such a trash can was empty, I highly doubt that Rusty has the physical strength needed to pick one up and shove it onto someone's head on his own. Polly can back me up on this one."

"Mmm," Lucy said as she contemplated what Haiku had just told her, "Now that you mention it, I don't think that any one student at this school can lift one of those trash cans over someone else's head without at least one other student helping them." Getting up off of her seat at the table, Lucy said, "Come on, Haiku. We've got to speak with the principal about this." The two goth girls then took their leave, prompting Chandler's first goon-friend to face-palm.

Right at that moment, Rusty entered the library (through a door other than the one Lucy and Haiku had used), carrying the notebook that Chandler had handed to him. "Hello?" Rusty called out, "Chandler's friend? You asked about borrowing a notebook?" Shaking his head, Chandler's first goon-friend shook his head and carefully snuck his way out of the library, successfully not being seen by Rusty.

* * *

The two goth girls brought their information to the attention of the Royal Woods Elementary school staff. This prompted some of the school staff, including Principal Huggins, to do a more thorough investigation. One of the first things that Mrs. Johnson, who was part of the team that Huggins had thrown together, suggested was that they talk to Chandler, who was the only witness to the incident where Lucy was bullied.

Luckily for Chandler, his first goon-friend had texted him about what he had seen and heard in the library pretty much the instant he left it to avoid being seen by Rusty. This gave Chandler enough time to fabricate a believable spiel that would help him avoid being found out.

"I just assumed it was Rusty," Chandler said as he faked both a look and tone that sounded apologetic; none of the adults could tell that Chandler was faking, though. "I didn't really get all that good of a look, given how quickly he went by," Chandler went on, "All I could remember was that he was about as tall as Rusty and had similar hair in a similar color, so I put two and two together as best as I could."

"I believe him," Mrs. Johnson remarked to Huggins and the other school staff members that were investigating the incident, "I can't really blame him for making an honest mistake. Besides, I've always known Chandler to tell the truth to the best of his knowledge."

"Well this is just great," Huggins remarked, "Not only did we needlessly punish a student who didn't do anything wrong, but there's a student in the school bullying his fellow students and totally getting away with it!" Sighing in a resigned tone, Huggins continued, "I am not looking forward to the phone call I have to make to Rusty's parents informing them of this mistake." After Chandler offered to help keep an eye out for any student who might possibly be the one that the school staff was looking for, the teachers and Huggins took their leave. When they were gone, Chandler breathed a sigh of relief.

" _Thank goodness the teachers and other staff members here are easily fooled_ ," Chandler thought as he turned to walk away.

* * *

During recess the following day, Chandler and his goon friends watched as a number of students apologized to Rusty for the way they treated him during the whole ordeal. Lincoln was especially apologetic; thankfully, Rusty was very understanding, saying that he would have acted in a very similar manner if someone had been accused of bullying Rocky.

"Can you believe it?" Chandler said in a disbelieving tone as he gestured to where everyone was apologizing to Rusty, "They're just as quick to apologize to him as they were to make him into the school pariah."

"Well look on the bright side, dude," Chandler's first goon-friend said, "No one has any idea that we were involved in this mess, so we got our bases covered. Also, even though Rusty's been cleared of any wrongdoing, most of the school will always have a very faint lingering bit of mistrust for Rusty. All in all, I'd say that this is as good of a place as any to cut our losses and call it a day."

After considering what his first goon-friend had said for a few seconds, Chandler shrugged and said, "Eh, you got a point." Chandler relaxed a bit knowing that, even though Rusty's reputation was slowly on the mend, Chandler's own reputation was not hit significantly at all. Sighing contently, Chandler thought, " _Life is good_."

END

Author's Notes:

I get the vibe from Chandler's character that he would not only be perfectly okay with getting revenge for petty reasons, but for taking that revenge to its logical extreme. He also seems like the kind of character who can get away with basically whatever he does without suffering pretty much anything at all, much to the dismay of everyone else. I absolutely cannot stand such characters, thus making stories featuring them where they get away with their misdeeds scot free something of a challenge for me to get through; that challenge is why I actually had a bit of fun writing this one-shot.

Also, the reason why I kept referring to the goon-friends as goon-friends is because they don't have actual names, and I couldn't think up decent names for them. I'll try giving them both proper names eventually.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own 'The Loud House' or any other property in this work that I did not make myself.

A collection of Loud House one-shots

Detective Lori is on the case! (Plot: During a lunch that she has with her friends on the varsity golf team, Lori Loud tells them about the time Lincoln clogged the toilet with a Princess Pony book. However, a number of faults in the story are pointed out, prompting Lori to investigate.)

Lori Loud was out having lunch at Burpin' Burger with the other girls on the Royal Woods High School varsity golf team. They had just gotten back from a game that they were playing against a team from a rival school. The girls of Royal Woods won that game rather handily, due to a mix of Lori's expert playing and the addition of a new member to the team, a member that Lori and her other fellows have been rather keen on recruiting for quite some time.

"So, like I was saying," Allison Ace said after chugging down her soda, "I figured it was about high time that I joined one of the guilds at our school. You girls have always been extending invites to me to join, so I figured that you'd let me in."

"Well you couldn't have joined at a better time," Lori remarked, "We have another big game coming up, and we need all the skill we can get our hands on."

"You know, I'm still trying to figure out why the Allfather seems to like this sport so much," Allison said before popping a chicken nugget into her mouth.

"Well maybe it's because he's a guy," said one of the girls on the varsity golf team, an African American girl who was chubby but in a cute way, "I mean, men tend to have an interest in golf, so you've got to figure."

"Yeah, ain't that the truth," Lori remarked, "Why, my own dad plays golf as well, although I can tell he's somewhat jealous that I'm better at the game than him."

As some of the girls on the varsity team laughed, a sound went off that sounded something like war drums. "Ah, that's me, girls," Allison said as she reached into her pocket, pulled out her phone and answered it. "Hello?" Allison said into her phone, "You've reached…Oh, you need me to come to watch her?" Sighing, Allison got up from the table while saying, "I'll be home right away. I shall see you before long." Allison then ended the call and slipped her phone back into her pocket.

"What was that about?" Lori asked.

"My youngest sibling, Anna," Allison explained, "She recently had to have her tonsils removed, you see. She was released from the hospital earlier today, and is at home resting. Someone needs to head home to keep an eye on her, partly because of the aforementioned business about her tonsils, but mostly because she's only six."

"Huh, that's the same age as my younger sisters Lola and Lana," Lori remarked.

Scoffing in an annoyed tone, Allison said, "I don't suppose either of those two younger sisters you just mentioned has an interest in the Princess Pony series, do they? Because my sister Anna loves it, and the over-usage of the color pink in that series has given me nightmares that even Loki would not use to torment warriors!"

"No, neither Lola or Lana like the Princess Pony series," Lori replied, "Although to be honest, I'm surprised that Lola of all people doesn't like it. I mean, it would be right up her ally, if you think about it." Shaking her head gently, Lori continued, "My younger brother, on the other hand, apparently likes it."

A confused look on her face, the African American girl on the varsity golf team said, "You mean Lincoln?"

Nodding in the affirmative, Lori said, "Surprisingly enough, yes. In fact, this one time, Lincoln actually clogged the toilet at our house with a Princess Pony book."

The other girls on the team exchanged confused looks with each other, up until Allison asked Lori the question that was on all of their minds. "Are you sure it was Lincoln?" the female Ace twin asked.

"Am I sure?" Lori repeated, "What do you mean, Allison?"

"First off, your brother Lincoln is an eleven-year-old boy," Allison began, "Although it is not technically unheard of for boys in his general age group to be interested in the Princess Pony series, instances of boys in his age group liking the Princess Pony series are still incredibly rare nonetheless. Furthermore, from what I've gleamed whenever he comes over for his Kendo lessons from Aggro, Lincoln seems to be interested in all of the regular stuff that boys his age are expected to be interested in. Comic books, video games, various collections, and he's even getting martial arts lessons! Lincoln seems like just your run-of-the-mill elementary school-age boy, if you want my opinion."

"Allison's got a point, Lori," the African American girl on the varsity team said, "It's seeming more and more that your little brother isn't really interested in Princess Pony at all." Lori was processing everything that her friends on the varsity golf team had just told her. More and more, the oldest Loud sibling was starting to see the point that her fellow girls were trying to make.

"You…" Lori began in a somewhat quiet tone of disbelief mixed with confusion, "…You think that Lincoln isn't really responsible?"

Having looked over at the front counter in the Burpin' Burger, Allison said, "If'n you want to find out for yourself, you can do it now. Lincoln just walked in with Aggro and that sister of yours who frequently comes over to watch Aggro and Lincoln practice Kendo." Looking at the counter, Lori saw that Lincoln, Leni and Aggro had in fact just entered the establishment.

…

"Wow, Linky," Leni said to her little brother in an amazed tone, "I can't believe you got another trophy for placing well in the sword fight tournaments at the community center!"

"It's a third-place trophy, though," Lincoln remarked.

"It's still impressive that you placed high enough to win an award for your efforts," Aggro pointed out, "Especially considering the fact that you clearly looked tired when going into the tournament in the first place." With something of a concerned look, the male Ace twin asked, "Did you get enough sleep last night?"

"Me and Linky's sister Luna kept the entire family up late into the night with her music playing," Leni explained, "I must have lost, like, half a night's worth of beauty sleep last night because of Luna's music."

"Really," Aggro said in a curious tone, "Well that would certainly explain the lack of energy on Lincoln-kun's part." With a look of consideration on his face, Aggro continued, "In fact, I dare say that he might have gotten first place if it hadn't been for your sister's music."

"Leni! Lincoln!" Lori called out, getting her siblings' attention. Lincoln and Leni turned to see Lori and her friends on the varsity golf team waving them over. Seeing his own twin sister with the group, Aggro walked over as well.

"Lori! How did your golf game go today?" Leni asked.

"We won, naturally," Lori replied in a self-amused tone, "How about you? How have things been going?"

"Linky got third place at the sword fight tournament at the community center today," Leni explained, "Aggro said that he might have gotten first if Luna hadn't kept us up all night with her music last night."

"Well in her defense, Luna has a gig tonight, and she needs as much practice as she can get," Lori pointed out, "Still, Lincoln getting third while being incredibly tired is impressive in and of itself."

"That's what I've been saying," Aggro remarked. Turing his head to face Allison, Aggro said, "I see you finally took me and Amy's advice and joined a club at school."

"One of the reasons that I've been able to come up with to explain why I'm apparently really good at this sport is because Odin had chosen me as his champion in this game," Allison remarked to her twin, "That being said, I figured that I should at least give the game a more honest go."

"Well that's the most logical explanation I've heard out of you for anything all week," Aggro remarked dryly.

After some of the others in the group laughed a bit, Lori said, "In all seriousness, though. I was telling the girls here a story, and some of them pointed out a few things that make me think that I didn't get all the facts." Looking to Lincoln specifically, Lori said in a concerned yet firm tone, "Lincoln, I need to ask you a question, maybe more than one. And I want you to be absolutely honest with me. Understood?"

"Am I in trouble?" Lincoln asked, getting somewhat nervous.

"If what I believe is true, then you were in less trouble than what you were punished for," Lori replied, her response confusing Lincoln. Inhaling and exhaling in order to help focus herself, Lori asked, "Lincoln, was it really you who clogged the toilet with that Princess Pony book?"

"Wait, what?" Lincoln replied, caught off guard by his oldest sister's question.

"What are you talking about, Lori?" Leni asked.

"I told the girls here about that incident," Lori explained as she gestured to her friends, "And some of them pointed out a few things that have led me to believe that Lincoln may not have really been the one responsible for clogging the toilet with the Princess Pony book."

"Wait, I'm confused," Aggro said, "What's this about clogging toilets?"

"I'll explain later," Lincoln said to his Kendo instructor. Turning to face Lori, Lincoln said, "Are you serious, Lori?"

"Please, Lincoln," Lori went on as more concern seeped into her tone, "I want you to tell me the truth. Was it really you who clogged the toilet with the Princess Pony book, yes or no?"

Sighing in a resigned tone because he saw he had no way out of this, Lincoln admitted, "No, it wasn't really me." Almost instantly, Leni gasped in shock, then bent down to throw her arms around Lincoln in order to drag him into a hug.

"Linky, I am, like, so sorry about the rough time I gave you because of that!" the fashionable Loud sibling cried as she squeezed her younger brother in a sibling hug.

"Leni, please let go of him," Lori half-ordered half-asked, "I'm not done with Lincoln yet." Obeying Lori right away, Leni broke out of the hug and stood back up. Continuing the impromptu interview, Lori asked, "Lincoln, do you know who was responsible for clogging the toilet with the Princess Pony book, yes or no?"

"Yes," Lincoln replied, looking somewhat guilty.

"Who was it?" Lori asked.

Shaking his head gently, Lincoln replied, "I can't tell you that."

"What?" Lori said, sounding and looking just a little bit annoyed, "What do you mean you can't tell me?"

"I promised the real owner of the book that I would keep their identity a secret," Lincoln explained, "That's the truth, Lori. And you did ask me to tell the truth."

Sighing in a way that showed that she was trying to keep herself calm, Lori said, "Look, Lincoln. It's really important to me that you tell me who it was."

"And it's really important to me that I keep the identity of the book's actual owner a secret," Lincoln retorted. Turning around to face Aggro, Lincoln said, "Aggro-sensei, is it okay if we leave now?"

A confused and concerned look on his face, Aggro replied, "Umm, sure, I guess. Are you feeling okay, Lincoln-kun?"

"Should I, like, get you some medicine?" Leni asked, sounding worried.

"I'll be fine," the sole Loud boy replied, "I just need to get going."

"I need to get going as well," Allison remarked, "I need to head home to keep an eye on Anna."

"Oh yeah, her tonsils," Aggro remarked to his twin sister. To Lincoln, Aggro said, "You want I should take you home?"

"Actually, I was planning on meeting up with my friends after this," Lincoln explained, "Rusty got a new video game that he's been itching to show to me, Clyde, Liam and Zach."

"Well I certainly won't stop you," Aggro replied with a shrug, "Have fun." Nodding in thanks to his Kendo instructor, Lincoln then took his leave. After Lincoln was gone, Aggro turned his attention to Allison and said, "I'll head home with you as well, Allison."

"Leni, you need to come with me," Lori said as she got up from the table she sat at, "We've got some stuff to pick up."

"Stuff?" the fashionable Loud sibling said in a mildly confused tone, "Like, what kind of stuff?"

* * *

Back at the Loud residence, the eight youngest Loud girls were busy doing the various things that they are known to do, minding their own business. Rita, the matriarch of the Loud family, was in the kitchen, working on dinner; although dinner is usually a job left to Lynn Sr, Rita's husband and the father of the Loud kids, the Loud patriarch was currently at work and would not get home until late. Overall, nothing of note was off about the atmosphere of the Loud residence. That was…until the front door being thrown open caught the attention of everyone in the house.

A few of the youngest of the Loud sisters went to check things out, and Rita even ducked from the kitchen to see what was going on. To their collective surprise and confusion, the two oldest Loud girls, Lori and Leni, had just returned home, dressed as British detectives from the 1800's for some odd reason. Lori even had a detective's tobacco pipe, although it was a prop and clearly there just to fit the image that the oldest Loud girl was going for.

"Did you borrow those costumes from the theater troupe that Winston belongs to?" Lola asked her two oldest sisters as they entered the house.

"Yes, yes, we did," Lori replied, "But trust me, I literally have a good reason for this."

"And what, pray tell, would the reason be?" Lisa asked, giving her oldest sister a deadpan look.

"First, I'm going to need all of our sisters to head into the living room with mom," Lori replied, "Leni and I will join you all there when everyone is assembled."

"Well, I got dinner on the settling phase," Rita remarked, "I suppose I have some time." After about a minute or so, the sisters and Rita had all gathered in the living room; as they were scattered all over the Loud property, it took a small bit of time to get everyone assembled.

When Rita and the eight youngest Loud girls were in the living room, Lori and Leni walked in and stood in front of where everyone sat. "Thank you all for meeting us here," Lori began, "I'm sure you are all wondering what this is about."

"Yeah, dude," Luna remarked, "I was in the middle of practice for the gig that I have tonight."

"Well for your sake, I hope that we can get through this quickly," Lori replied, "Because there is a mystery in our family, and until I get to the bottom of it, no one is literally going anywhere."

"Lori, Leni, what is this about?" Rita asked, sounding just a little bit annoyed.

"Tell me, everyone," Lori said as she faced the side of the living room, "Who here remembers the incident where Lincoln supposedly clogged the toilet with that Princess Pony book?"

"Ha!" Lola laughed, "I still can't believe that Lincoln would actually read that Wait a minute, what do you mean 'supposedly'?"

"Ah, I'm glad someone asked that," Lori replied calmly. Turning dramatically and pointing at her family with the mouth piece of the pipe she held, Lori said, "I have recently discovered that Lincoln is not actually responsible for clogging the toilet with the Princess Pony book!"

When Lori made this declaration, everyone else in the room, including Leni, gasped in shock. Noticing that her roommate had gasped, Lori turned to face her and said, "Leni, why are you surprised? You were there when I got the information."

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Lucy asked.

"While my friends on the varsity golf team and I were grabbing lunch at Burpin' Burger after having won the game today," Lori began, "Allison brought up the fact that her kid sister Anna likes the Princess Pony series. Hearing this prompted me to tell my friends about the incident where Lincoln had clogged the toilet with that book. However, my friends pointed out a number of problems with that theory. Furthermore, when Lincoln just so happened to have entered the establishment with Leni and Aggro, I called them over so I could talk to Lincoln about it. After thoroughly questioning Lincoln about it, I got him to confess that it wasn't really him who had clogged the toilet with the Princess Pony book."

"I can't believe we all gave him such a rough time for it, too," Luan remarked in an ashamed tone as she gently shook her head, "Does he at least know who really did it?"

"Yes, but not only did Lincoln refuse to tell me who it was, he refused to give me his reason for withholding that information," Lori replied.

"Maybe Lincoln has a good reason for not wanting to tell us?" Lana suggested.

"Well I certainly can't think of any reason why Lincoln would willingly take the fall for something like that, especially since doing so meant that he was forced to miss that convention he wanted to go to," Lynn remarked.

"Oh geez," Rita said in a concerned tone, "I can't believe your father and I punished Lincoln for nothing. We owe him such a big apology when he gets home."

"Not only that, but there's a one-in-twelve chance that dad will have to really pull out all the stops when it comes to making it up to Lincoln," Lori went on. Turning to regard Rita, Lori continued, "Or maybe it will have to be you, mom."

"What are you talking about, Lori?" Rita replied.

"Since it wasn't Lincoln that clogged the toilet with the Princess Pony book," Lori replied, "That only leaves twelve other suspects, those being the rest of the family living here."

"Wait a minute, Lori," Lisa interrupted, "Are you meaning to say that you're including both of our parental units, our baby sister Lily who not only cannot read books yet but cannot use the actual toilet yet, and _yourself_ as suspects?"

"In the interest of fairness, yes," Lori replied.

"Lori is, like, totes fair when she's pretending to be a fancy detective," Leni remarked.

"So, Lori," Luna began, "How do you intend to narrow down the list of suspects?"

"Deductive reasoning," Lori replied as she pointed the mouth piece of her pipe at Luna, "We shall first begin with eliminating the suspects who are obviously not guilty of clogging the toilet with the Princess Pony book."

"Who do you have at the top of that list, then?" Lana asked.

"The first person that I am eliminating as a suspect is Lily," Lori began.

The baby of the Loud family, hearing that she was being cleared, giggled happily as she clapped her hands while saying, "Poo-poo."

"I am eliminating her for the same reasons Lisa stated when she questioned why I even bothered to list Lily as a suspect in the first place," Lori said, "Lily cannot read yet, thus she has no need to own any books at all, and has not yet been trained to use the actual toilet, meaning there is no logical reason for her to be anywhere near the toilet in the bathroom."

"Who are you going to eliminate next?" Rita asked.

"You, actually," Lori replied as she pointed to Rita, drawing a mildly surprised look out of her, "Because you are interested in a far different kind of reading material from the Princess Pony series. Besides, if it had actually been you who clogged the toilet, you would have told the truth right away, as embarrassing for you as it may have been."

"That's right," Rita remarked with a nod.

"I am also eliminating Dad as a suspect for the same reason," Lori added, "Besides which, I am literally finding it impossible to imagine Dad being interested in a series that's aimed at young girls. The next suspect I am eliminating is myself."

"Surprise, surprise," Luna remarked to the other suspects in a sarcastic tone.

"Consider this," Lori said as she turned to face Luna, "If it was really me who did it, would I go through the trouble of putting on this show of an investigation? Wouldn't it be a good idea for me to try and keep such a secret on the down low rather than risk exposing it?"

Shrugging, Luna replied, "Ehh, you got me there, mate. So then, who else are you going to eliminate as a suspect right away?"

"Leni is the next person I'm crossing off my list," Lori replied.

"Me? Really?" Leni asked.

"You were present when I got the confession out of Lincoln that it wasn't really him who was responsible for clogging the toilet with the Princess Pony book," Lori explained, "If you had been the one to have clogged the toilet, you would have gotten defensive the moment I asked Lincoln if he was really responsible or not." Turning to face her family as a whole, Lori said, "And that concludes eliminating suspects who I know could not have been responsible."

"So that just leaves myself," Luna began as she listed off the remaining suspects on her fingers, "Luan, Lynn, Lucy, Lana, Lola, and Lisa."

"Indeed," the oldest Loud sibling replied, "We've only got seven possible suspects left."

"So how in the heck are you going to find out who was responsible?" Lola asked.

"The same way I eliminated myself, Leni, mom, dad and Lily as suspects," Lori said, "Deductive reasoning. I shall work my way through the list of remaining suspects, going from oldest to youngest." Turning around and pointing the mouth piece of her pipe at Luna, Lori said, "Which means I'm starting with you, Luna."

"Excuse me?!" Luna nearly exclaimed out of indignation.

"As much as it pains me to suggest this," Lori began, "Lincoln has a tendency to spend more time with some of us sisters over the rest of us."

"Well in all fairness, we do tend to give Lincoln the short end of the stick a lot of the time," Lana pointed out in a guilty sounding tone, "I mean, we accused him of doing something that he didn't really do, and he willingly took the blame for it anyway." Hanging her head in shame, Lana said, "Some sisters to Lincoln we are." The other sisters similarly hung their own heads in shame, even those who weren't suspects anymore.

"But some of us do that to Lincoln very rarely compared to the rest of us, if at all," Lori pointed out. Pointing the mouth piece of her pipe at Luna, Lori continued, "Luna is one such sister who is consistently nice to Lincoln."

"Well he pops in sometimes to listen to some of my jamming sessions," Luna remarked, "Also, I like Mick Swagger, Lincoln likes SMOOCH, and both of those are Rock music performers. We have similar tastes in music."

"Yes, yes," Lori replied, "All of this means that Lincoln would have no trouble covering for you if you're in a real pinch."

"So, it was Luna who clogged the toilet with the Princess Pony book?" Lola asked, drawing shocked gasps from Rita and the other sisters, Luna especially.

"Not so fast," Lori interrupted, "Just because I am suggesting that Lincoln would be willing to take the heat for Luna like that does not mean that I am suggesting that Luna is the culprit."

"How come?" Luan asked.

"As we all know," Lori began, "Luna will pretty much ignore trying something new unless it's related to Rock music, or is British, or is recommended to her by one of her friends. And I highly doubt that any of Luna's friends were ever into the Princess Pony series."

"You got that right, dude," Luna replied as she pointed to her oldest sister while nodding in agreement.

"So, in summation, given that she's usually reluctant to try anything out of her usual comfort zone, I cannot suspect Luna of being the real culprit," Lori remarked, "At least not yet, anyway." Turing slightly to point at Luan, Lori continued, "Now we'll go over whether or not it could have been you, Luan."

"Oh, come on!" Luan said, sounding mildly offended.

"As we all know," Lori began as she spoke to her family as a whole, "Luan has a thing for pulling off pranks. And I am certain that we can all agree that Luan has a tendency to go overboard with her pranks, especially on April first."

"Overboard?" Luan repeated, sounding slightly more offended, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Tell me, Luan," Lori replied, "Do you know _why_ we tend to hide in our rooms all day on April first?"

"Umm…" the comedic Loud sibling said, sounding mildly unsure of herself now.

"Also," Lori continued without giving Luan a break, "Do you know _why_ Lisa built that bomb shelter in the back yard?"

"That's a bomb shelter?" Luan remarked in a mildly surprised but mostly confused tone, "I thought that was an extra, more fortified lab that Lisa had built to perform her more extreme experiments in."

"It can serve that purpose, if necessary," Lisa stated to her comedic sibling, "But for the most part, I built it as a safe place to hide from you on April first."

"And let's not forget that one April Fool's day," Lori continued, "Where you told Lincoln that you had called Ronnie Anne over, knowing full well it would get Lincoln to come out of hiding and be subjected to all of the pranks that you had set up."

"That's sort of like the one time where Luan said that she had invited Bobby over in order to get you to come out of hiding and be subjected to pranks," Lana remarked while pointing to Lori, prompting the oldest Loud sibling to nod in agreement.

"Way harsh, dude," Luna said with a mildly disappointed scowl on her face while facing her roommate, prompting Luan to look even more ashamed.

"There's one thing I don't get," Lola began when she raised her hand, "If it was really Luan who clogged the toilet with the Princess Pony book, why would Lincoln take the heat for her, given that he had every reason not to due to how often he's been subjected to Luan's pranks?"

"I'm thinking that either Luan didn't clog the toilet," Leni said, "Or Luan did clog the toilet but Linky is so nice to us as a whole that he decided to take the blame for her anyway."

"Our brother does have our best interests in mind on a consistent basis," Lisa remarked, drawing nods out of the other sisters and Rita.

"OR," Lori interrupted, "Lincoln is under the threat of more severe pranks from Luan, similar to dad following that one April Fool's where we all managed to foil Luan's efforts." Hearing the oldest Loud sibling suggest that Lincoln is being threatened made everyone else in the room gasp in shock, Luan especially since she was the one being accused of threatening Lincoln. Luan was about to object, but Lynn cut her off by grabbing the comedic Loud sibling by her shirt collar.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't rearrange your face right now for threatening our little brother!" the sporty Loud sibling yelled, her face barely an inch away from Luan's.

"I'm not done yet, Lynn," Lori interrupted, getting Lynn's attention and the attention of everyone else in the room. "Let go of Luan and return to where you were sitting, please," Lori said, "Besides which, you're the next suspect we'll be going over."

"What makes you think that it could have been me who clogged the toilet with that Princess Pony book?" Lynn asked as she sat down where she was sitting in the first place.

"Most girls who act and play in ways usually attributed to boys still have something of a girly streak in them," Lori explained, "Why, Allison treats Fenrir as her baby, similar to how a lot of girls treat their tiny lap dogs."

"Didn't you say that Fenrir is a Tibetan Mastiff, though?" Lana asked as she raised a hand, "I'm pretty sure those are rather big to be considered lap dogs."

"That's beside the point," Lori replied, "What I'm saying is that, regardless of how tough and ready to throw down a girl may be, she is still a girl at the end of the day, and as such it wouldn't be too far off the mark to suggest that a girl would be interested in things that are aimed at girls."

"So, it _is_ possible that Lynn may have clogged the toilet with the Princess Pony book," Luna said, "But wait, if it was her, why would our bro take the fall for her?"

"Because I _didn_ ' _t_ clog the toilet because I'm _not_ interested in that junk," Lynn replied in a firm tone.

"Or," Lori continued as everyone turned their attention back to the oldest Loud sibling, "Similar to the theory about Luan threatening Lincoln with pranks of increased severity, Lynn threatened Lincoln into keeping quiet herself, except she threated to pound him."

"Excuse me?!" Lynn nearly yelled, her anger getting close to its peak.

Giving the sporty Loud sibling a knowing look, Lori scoffed, "I wouldn't put it past you to do something like that, given your history of being rough with Lincoln. But we aren't done going through all the suspects yet." To her family as a whole, Lori said, "The next suspect after Lynn would be Lucy." Turning so that she faced off to the side, Lori raised her right index finger while looking like she was about to say something. However, the oldest Loud sibling didn't say anything. After a few seconds, Lori shook her head and said, "Nah, there's literally no way that someone like Lucy would be interested in the Princess Pony series, so it couldn't have been her who clogged the toilet."

"Wait a minute, Lori," Luna began as she regarded Lori with a confused look, "You're going to let Lucy off the hook right away without even bothering to go into detail on how she could have been responsible? How come?"

"Think about it for a second," Lori replied as she explained herself, "A dark, gloomy person like Lucy being interested in something as happy and bright at the Princess Pony series? I'm sorry, but Lucy being responsible is even less likely than my Bobby Boo-Boo Bear being responsible, and he's only ever been in our bathroom once, when he had to clean some marinara sauce off his shirt due to an accident during the first time he came over here."

"It was BOBBY who clogged the toilet with the Princess Pony book?!" Leni exclaimed, looking very much angry.

Sighing in a mildly resigned tone, Lori said, "No, Leni. There is literally no way Bobby did it. I was only using him as an example."

"So," Lana began as she began to list things off the tips of her fingers, "The only ones who haven't gone yet are-" The tomboyish Loud sibling was cut off when the front door opened, and Lincoln walked into the house.

"Oh, hey everyone," Lincoln greeted his family. Regarding Lori and Leni with a confused look, Lincoln asked, "Umm, did I miss anything?"

"Oh, we're using old timey detective powers to figure out who had really clogged the toilet with the Princess Pony book," Leni explained.

"It's called deductive reasoning, Leni," Lori corrected with a resigned sigh.

"You _still_ haven't dropped that yet, Lori?" Lincoln asked, looking mildly disappointed, but overall mostly upset (he sounded upset, too).

"I'm sorry Lincoln, but we have to know who it was," Lori replied.

"And what will you all do upon finding out who it really was that clogged the toilet with the Princess Pony book, huh?" Lincoln asked, "Give them a rough time over it? Make them the laughing stock of the house, like you all did with me when I took the heat for it?" Giving (most of) his sisters an accusing look, Lincoln said, "I'm sorry if not knowing the truth bothers you all so much, but I don't really like the idea of you girls mercilessly teasing one of us because of what they're interested in!"

After he had finished his mini-rant, the sole Loud boy breathed in and out slowly, to calm himself down as best as he could. The sisters all looked ashamed, having realized that Lincoln had a point. "We're…we're sorry, Lincoln," Lori replied as she rubbed the back of her head in an embarrassed manner, "And…you're right for taking the fall for that reason. I highly doubt that, even if the real culprit fessed up right now, we would refrain from teasing them."

"We're also sorry for teasing you back when you took the heat like that, dude," Luna said in an apologetic tone, "And that you missed that convention you wanted to go to because of it. You know, it's pretty tight that you'd willingly go that far for one of us."

"I'd do the same for any of you if given the chance," Lincoln replied honestly, "But can we just drop it now? All I want to do is get something to eat."

Checking the watch on her wrist, Rita said, "Well it's a good thing that dinner is just about done settling, then." Getting up from the sofa, Rita said to her kids, "I'm going to go check on dinner one last time, so you kids should better go get ready." After Rita made her way back into the kitchen, the loud siblings all proceeded to make their way upstairs. As they all filed up one by one, Lori stopped Lincoln before he could go up.

"Lincoln, seriously," Lori said, "I'm really sorry about having insisted on finding out who really clogged the toilet with the Princess Pony book. I just didn't really like how you were punished for something that you didn't really do." Looking somewhat guilty, Lori added, "Not to mention my own part in how you were treated for all of that."

"Lori, please," Lincoln replied as he held up a hand to cut off any further argument, "There's no need to apologize. You and the other girls are all my sisters, and I love you."

Smiling, Lori knelt down to Lincoln's level, threw her arms around him, and gently drew her only brother into a hug. "Thanks, twerp," Lori said in a kind, gentle tone, "I literally have no idea what we would do around here without you." Lincoln was mildly surprised by Lori's show of sibling affection at first, but only at first. Gently, the sole Loud boy returned the hug, patting his older sister on the back.

"You're welcome, Lori," Lincoln replied. After the two siblings broke out of the hug, Lincoln said, "Now why don't we head upstairs and get ready for dinner?"

Lori didn't say anything, although she did nod in the affirmative. The two siblings then made their way upstairs to get ready for dinner, with Lori doubting that an 1800's detective's outfit was appropriate to wear at the dinner table.

END

Author's Notes:

Seeing the real culprit behind clogging the toilet with the Princess Pony book is something that I've seen come up in a number of other stories that I've read. I wanted to try and have as much originality as possible, and seeing Lori trying to do something for Lincoln's sake always puts me in a good mood, even though Lori isn't really my favorite Loud sibling (in Lori's defense, she isn't my least favorite either, and I actually kind of like writing for her for some odd reason).

Anywho, the next one-shot in this collection will see Ronnie Anne have a role.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I do not own 'The Loud House' or any other property in this work that I did not make myself.

A collection of Loud House one-shots

New home, clean slate (Plot: A punk girl whose family moved from England had been part of a local youth gang ever since she lived in the States. But when the girl's family moves once again, this time to Royal Woods, the girl sees it as her chance to clean up her act.)

Ronnie Anne Santiago was in a public park in the city that she had moved to with her mother Maria and older brother Bobby. The Hispanic girl was sitting on a bench, talking into her cell phone. Ronnie Anne was speaking with someone who lived back in her old home town of Royal Woods, someone who Ronnie Anne missed a lot, and for more than one reason.

"You know Lincoln," Ronnie Anne said into her phone, "I bet that if my family and I still lived over there, Bobby would have agreed to be Lori's Watson for that whole detective thing." After a few seconds, Ronnie Anne laughed in response to something funny that Lincoln Loud, the person she was talking with, had said on his end of the line. "But seriously," Ronnie Anne said, "You really took the heat for something like that? That's pretty gutsy."

After a few more seconds, Ronnie Anne continued, "I'm serious about that, Lame-o. But for real, though, are you sure you can't tell me who it really was?" The Hispanic girl was silent for a few seconds as her friend on the other end replied. "Ah, I get it," Ronnie Anne said, "I bet that you'd be a shoo-in for brother of the year. Anywho, I've got to get going. Catch you later, Lincoln." With that, Ronnie Anne ended her call, slipped her phone into her pocket, got up off of the bench, and made her way out of the park.

About halfway from the park to her family's current residence with their extended family the Casagrandes, Ronnie Anne accidentally bumped into a girl of about thirteen years of age. The girl had fair skin and long yellow-blonde hair with streaks of colors in it, obviously there to give the girl a punk look. She wore a baggy hooded jacket that looked like the Union Jack, baggy jeans with torn knees, and large sneakers. The girl was currently sucking on a lollipop.

"Oi, watch where you're bleeding going, ya daft bird!" the punk girl snapped at Ronnie Anne in a British accent.

"Geez, sorry," Ronnie Anne replied somewhat sarcastically as she gave the British girl a wide berth. Smiling smugly, the girl took her leave, leaving Ronnie Anne to wonder just what the heck was that girl's deal.

* * *

In an alleyway somewhere in the town, a group of youths, all dressed like members of a punk gang, were stomping on a lone kid who was lying down on the ground. As the punks continued roughing up the innocent kid, they heard a vice behind them call out, "Oi, you blokes started the fun without me? Ain't your mums taught you better?"

The punks all stopped in their bullying and turn to see the punk British girl who had bumped into Ronnie Anne. As she made her way into the alleyway, the punk British girl said, "So what do we got ourselves on the menu today, gents?"

"Some dumb kid wandered into our turf, so we're educating him better," replied one of the punks, a boy about the same age as the punk British girl. Turning to face her, the first punk boy said, "What say you?"

"Feh," the punk British girl scoffed as she approached where the kid that everyone was stomping on laid, "The bloke is probably from a rival gang, trying to scout out our turf to see if his fellows can take it for themselves." Giving the boy a nudge in his back with her right foot, the punk British girl said, "Oi, time to rise and shine, ya bloody twit." When the boy didn't reply for a few seconds, the punk British girl gave his back a harder nudge while saying in a louder tone, "Did you not hear me?"

When the boy, once again, did not move, the punk British girl gave him a hard kick in the back, which still failed to elicit a response. Mildly worried now, she bent down to check for a pulse. When some of her fellow punk teens saw her eyes widen out of shock, they all knew what was going on, what they had done.

The first punk boy ran to the entrance to the alleyway they were all in, and looked both to the left and to the right. Running back in, the first punk boy said, "I don't think anyone would have seen us when passing by."

"And there ain't no windows on any of the building sides," a second punk girl, this one clearly American, said as she looked at the building sides that made up the alleyway, "So we should not have been caught."

"I don't know about you guys," said a second punk boy, "But I think we should try to cover this, swear to take what happened here to our graves, and get the heck out of here!"

"A good thing we don't know each other's actual names, so we can't really rat each other out," the first boy punk said. After the punk teens covered what they did so that it wouldn't be found for at least a while, they all left the alleyway, swearing never to say what they saw to anyone.

* * *

That evening, the punk British girl laid on her bed in her family's home in the city. The thirteen-year-old girl could not believe what her gang had done, the fact that she technically had no part in it doing very little to sooth her mounding guilt. Although this was by far the worst thing her gang had done to date, they had done a number of other things, many of which were illegal. The punk British girl felt proud of the fact that she had not yet been caught exercising her five-finger discount at local stores in the city, especially at the place owned by old man Casagrande.

…But in light of what had happened today, the punk British girl felt an even amount of shame mix in with the aforementioned pride.

The punk British girl continued to stare up at her ceiling, where she had pinned a Union Jack flag, up until she was stirred from her trance by a knock at her bedroom door. "Mitzie?" a motherly voice said from the other side in a British accent, "You okay in there, sweetie"

Sighing, the punk British girl, apparently named Mitzie, sat up on her bed. "I'll be fine, mum," Mitzie replied. The bedroom door opened, and a fair-skinned woman with fair skin, long blonde hair, and wearing a pink t-shirt and blue pants came walking in. This woman, Mitzie's mother, sat on the bed next to her teenage daughter.

"I'm guessing that our upcoming move has you nervous, is all," Mitzie's mother remarked in an understanding tone.

Mitzie suddenly remembered that her family was in the process of moving to Royal Woods, a town in the next state over. A new town in a new state meant that no one would have any idea who Mitzie was. The punk British girl had a chance to reinvent herself, to start over anew. To hopefully not get caught up in the kind of messy business that she had delighted in here, the first town her family lived in since they moved from England.

"Yeah, mum," Mitzie replied, "I'm just nervous about the move, is all."

"Well don't you worry, luv," Mitzie's mother said in a gentle tone, giving her daughter's right shoulder a reassuring pat, "I'm sure you'll be able to make more friends after we move to Royal Woods. It sounds like a nice place to me."

"Yeah," Mitzie replied, "I'm sure it's going to be great."

* * *

A few days later, a moving truck could be seen parked outside of a house in a neighborhood in Royal Woods. There were a number of furniture items and a few boxes of belongings sitting on the lawn in front of the house, just waiting to be brought into their new home. Standing in the yard among the items was Mitzie, looking rather unsure. The punk British girl was considering changing her style, hoping that a new look would better allow her to become a new person.

As Mitzie fished out a small lollipop from one of the front pockets on her baggy Union Jack hoodie, she heard an adult female voice call out, "Excuse me, young lady!" Mitzie turned to see a blonde woman walk over, carrying a Tupperware dish containing some sort of homemade food. Accompanying the woman were two kids who Mitzie figured were the woman's kids; one was a brunette-haired girl that Mitzie figured was about her age, and the other was a white-haired boy Mitzie estimated to be about two years or so younger than her.

" _I was wondering when the welcome wagon would show up_ ," Mitzie thought as the three people came over. Waving at them, Mitzie said, "Top of the morning to you! The name's Mitzie Cornwell. I take it you'd like to speak with me mum, right?"

"That would be nice, yes," the woman replied, "Where can I find her?"

"She should be inside, luv," Mitzie replied as she pointed to the house her family was moving into, "Why not give the door a knock?"

Nodding in understanding, the woman went to go try and speak with Mitzie's mother, leaving her two kids behind. "You know," the girl said to Mitzie, "You sound a lot like me and Lincoln's older sister Luna."

"Is she one of those Yanks who likes to pretend she's a Brit?" Mitzie asked.

"Ehh," the girl said as she made the so-so gesture with her right hand, "It's mostly because her favorite musician is British. You ever heard of Mick Swagger?"

"Shortly before me family moved here from the other side of the pond," Mitzie began, "Me old man got himself in a bit of a pickle at a Mick Swagger concert in London."

"What happened?" the girl asked.

"He got into a fight with a really fat woman and got arrested," Mitzie replied, "Although to be fair, the fat woman got arrested too, given that she started it."

"So, your family moved from England to Royal Woods?" the white-haired boy asked.

"We actually moved from England to some city in the next state over," Mitzie clarified, "We moved here from that city to Royal Woods because me old man got a really nice job."

"Well if you got any questions, feel free to hit my family up," the girl said, "We'll be glad to give you a hand."

Smiling, Mitzie said, "Glad to hear it, luv. Oh, I don't suppose I can get the names of the both of you, can I?"

"Oh, I'm Lynn Loud, and this is my younger brother Lincoln," the girl said as she introduced herself and her sibling, "That was our mom Rita who was asking for your parents."

"Nice to meet you, Lynn and Lincoln," Mitzie replied, "I'm looking forward to life here in Royal Woods."

"It'll be great," Lincoln remarked, "You can take my word for it."

"I will, guv," Mitzie said with a nod. Shortly after the three kids had exchanged each other's names, Rita came walking back over.

"Lynn, Lincoln, it's time to get going," Rita said. The three members of the Loud family took their leave, with Lynn and Lincoln waving good-bye to Mitzie.

" _Huh_ ," Mitzie thought, " _I have a good feeling about those blokes_."

* * *

The following day, Mitzie walked up the front steps of the Loud residence, having been brought over by Lynn. "So, Lynn," Mitzie began in a mildly curious tone, "What do you usually do around here?"

"Oh, I'm into sports," Lynn replied, "Do you play any yourself?"

"I dabble," the British punk girl replied, "How about that white-haired bloke that was with you yesterday? Is he a jock himself?"

Snorting back a laugh, Lynn said, "Oh, that's rich!" Shaking her head gently, Lynn said, "No, Mitzie, no. My little brother Lincoln is the exact opposite. Granted, Lincoln is capable of playing if he wants, and he is receiving Kendo lessons, but outside of that, my little brother's interests are limited to comic books and video games. No offence to him, but my little brother is not exactly what I'd call 'athlete material'."

"To each their own, luv," Mitzie remarked. The sporty Loud nodded in agreement with the British punk girl. "But back on track," Mitzie continued, "You said that I need to keep an eye out for myself when you said you'd bring me over here. Why? Is your little brother something of a mischief-maker?"

"No, although I might apply that title to my older sister Luan," Lynn replied.

"Ah, you got an older sister who likes to make mischief," Mitzie said, "And you mentioned an older sister who talks like she from my side of the pond. I take it that you got a somewhat big family, then?" In response to Mitzie's question, Lynn had to snort back another laugh.

"A _somewhat_ big family?" Lynn repeated with amusement in her tone, "Oh, Mitzie. You don't even know the half of it." The two thirteen-year-old girls reached the front door of the Loud residence, and Lynn opened the front door to let herself and Mitzie in. Once the door was open, Mitzie got a fairly good idea why Lynn thought her saying 'somewhat big family' was funny.

Right when the door opened, a young girl wrapped up in toilet paper in some ill-conceived attempt to pretend to be a mummy went walking by, her arms held up at length and aimed forward. A somewhat smaller girl, this one with brown hair, glasses, green long-sleeved shirt, dark reddish pants and black shoes, was chasing a dog while saying, "I still need that sample from you, Charles!"

There was also a girl somewhat older than Lynn and Mitzie was playing an electric guitar in the living room while screaming in a British accent, "THIS IS HOW WE BLEEDING DO IT, MATES!" The thirteen-year-old British girl could only stare at this chaos with widened eyes.

"…Umm, wow," was all Mitzie was able to get out.

"I know," Lynn replied, "And those are just three of my ten siblings."

"I…I beg your pardon, luv?" Mitzie replied, "Did you just say ten?" The sporty Loud sibling only nodded in the affirmative as she took Mitzie with her into the kitchen area.

"Come on, Mitzie," Lynn said, "Let's get us some sodas."

"That can't be too weird, can it?" Mitzie asked in a mildly apprehensive tone.

* * *

The two thirteen-year-old girls were standing around in the kitchen, drinking cans of soda. "So, you got yourself four older sisters," Mitzie began, "A younger brother, and five younger sisters? Do I have all of that correct?"

"Yes, that's all correct," Lynn replied, "And each one of us Loud siblings are different in our own unique-"

"Lana!" a young female voice screamed from the dining room area in angry annoyance, cutting Lynn of in the process, "Quit interrupting me and Winston when he's trying to tell me about the latest play his theater troupe performed!"

"You guys should totally do The Mummy," a second female voice replied, "Or at least one about some archeologists unearthing a mummy's tomb."

"We'll…keep that in mind," a young male voice replied as tactfully as possible, "And we'll be sure to give you a heads up in case you want to audition for the role."

"Umm, Lynn," Mitzie began, "What was that?"

Chuckling a bit, Lynn said, "Oh, my little sister Lola has her crush Winston over, and Lola's twin Lana is just bothering them. That was probably Lana wearing all that toilet paper earlier, since she uses up a roll or two whenever she wants to dress up as a mummy."

"How old are your siblings again?" Mitzie asked.

"Well let's see here," Lynn began as she proceeded to count things off of her fingertips, "Going from youngest to oldest, Lily is about fifteen months, Lisa is four years, Lola and Lana are both six, Lucy's eight, Lincoln's eleven, I'm thirteen, Luan's fourteen, Luna's fifteen, Leni's sixteen and Lori's seventeen." To Mitzie, the sporty Loud continued, "It's like I had told you earlier, Mitzie. My family is a little bit more than 'somewhat big'. We're probably the largest family in the Royal Woods area."

"I bet that when you and your siblings all find significant others, the size will only grow," Mitzie remarked, a mild amount of worry mixed into her impressed expression.

"Well I have no doubt Lori is going to marry her longtime boyfriend Bobby," Lynn remarked as she opened the fridge to grab another soda. Closing the fridge door behind her, Lynn continued as she popped open the soda she just took out, "And Bobby's family is pretty large itself."

"It's an extended family, rather than immediate family," a somewhat older female voice said from behind Lynn and Mitzie, making the two thirteen-year-old girls turn to see Lori and Leni standing there. It had been Lori who spoke up. "But yeah, the point remains," Lori went on, "Bobby has a lot of cousins." Shifting her gaze to Mitzie, Lori said, "I take it that you're the new kid who just moved to Royal Woods?"

"That I am, luv," Mitzie replied, "I take it that you birds are some of Lynn's older sisters?"

"Umm, Lori and I are humans, not birds," Leni replied in a mildly confused tone.

Sighing in exasperation, Lori said, "No, Leni. Lynn's friend here is using British slang. Luna uses it all the time, remember?"

"…Oh yeah," the fashionable Loud sibling remarked, "And now that you mention it, she sounds kind of like Luna."

"Well Mitzie's family actually came from England," Lynn explained, "Similar to how Ulfric's family came from Sweden."

"Oh yeah! That makes sense," Leni remarked with a few nods.

Sighing in a mildly frustrated tone, Lori remarked, "At least you understand something."

"Umm, who's this Ulfric bloke you mentioned?" Mitzie asked, a curious look on her face.

"Ulfric Aesir, a boy around the same age as Lynn," Lori said. With something of an amused mischievous look on her face, the oldest Loud sibling continued, "Lynn here literally has a crush on him."

"Please don't mention that to people that I bring over!" Lynn replied, an embarrassed blush on her face.

"Oh, come on, Lynn," Leni began, "You and Ulfric would be, like, totes cute together!"

"Ah, so that's what's going on, guv," Mitzie said as she turned to face Lynn, "A bloke stole your heart, didn't he?"

"Umm," Lynn replied in an embarrassed manner, "Well, you see-"

"Ah, no need to worry yourself," Mitzie interrupted, "It's only natural for a girl to find her heart stolen by a boy."

"Don't I know that that feeling," Leni said, looking as if she was imagining something, or rather some _one_ , that she felt was rather dreamy.

Giving Lynn a pat on the back, Mitzie said, "But hey, I won't push you if you aren't ready, luv. You got me word on that."

"Thanks, Mitzie," Lynn replied, an appreciative smile on the sporty Loud's face.

"Now then, how about you introduce me the rest of your siblings, hmm?" Mitzie suggested, "I get the feeling that I'm going to be running into all of them at some point, so I better get a crack on figuring out which name belongs to which face."

"Since this will be your first meeting them, you may wanna take notes," Lynn said half-jokingly, getting a giggle out of the British girl.

* * *

As time went on, Mitzie met Lynn's other siblings. The British girl got a proper introduction from Lincoln, Lori and Leni both properly introduced themselves, and Mitzie had met Lily, the twins, Lisa and Luna. In fact, both Luna and Mitzie got a hoot out of meeting each other, Luna because Mitzie spoke a natural British accent, and Mitzie because she had to admit that Luna's practiced accent sounded more authentic than some real accents she heard back in England.

"I've got to say, luv," Mitzie said to Lynn, "You got yourself a fine family here. But I only counted eight siblings."

"Yeah, Luan and Lucy are out at the moment," Lynn replied, "I'm not sure where they-"

"THAT SWINDLER!" a female voice exclaimed from the area of the front door, prompting Lynn, Mitzie, and everyone else in the house to investigate. Upon arriving, they all saw that Luan and Lucy had returned. It had been Luan that had called out angrily.

"What's going on, girls?" Lori asked.

"It's Flip," Lucy explained in a far calmer tone that what Luan was currently using, "He's at his old tricks again."

"I'm guessing that he ripped off either you or Luan?" Lincoln asked in a knowing tone.

"Actually, neither of us were ripped off by Flip," Lucy explained, "But we did witness Flip cheating Benny out of his change, so Luan's pretty livid right now." Shaking her head, Lucy continued, "How is that man still in business? I would have imagined that his shady business practices would have been made public knowledge by now."

"…Umm, you lot are going to have to fill me in on this," Mitzie said to the Loud siblings as a whole, "Who is this Flip person?"

"He's a local business owner who runs a gas station slash convenience store," Lori explained, "Flip is also something of a swindler, and is incredibly cheap to boot."

"So, I take it he not all that well received around these parts," Mitzie reasoned.

"Exactly," Lincoln replied, "Take my word for it. Doing business with Flip is not the best idea in the world."

"Alright, guv," Mitzie said with a nod in the affirmative, "Thanks for the warning. By the way, who's that Benny fellow you claimed was cheated by that Flip person?"

"A classmate of me and Luan's over at Royal Woods Middle School," Lynn explained, "Luan happens to have a crush on Benny, so you can imagine how much it bothers her that Benny was swindled by Flip."

"Hmm," Mitzie replied as she considered what she was just told, "You don't say." The British girl was thinking about how Flip was a detestable person, how he apparently frequently rips off his own customers, and consistently gets away with such misdeeds. The fact that Flip has apparently gotten away with his morally questionable deeds reminded Mitzie…well, it reminded her of herself.

Granted, Mitzie used to be a punk gang member (she hasn't yet changed her image, though) and Flip is a small business owner of questionable morality, but both parties had taken pleasure at the expense of others at some point. Mitzie couldn't even believe that there was such a person as Flip. The British girl wanted to get back at Flip for the sake of those who had been swindled by that detestable man.

…And just because Mitzie wanted to abandon her past as a punk who committed petty crimes did not mean that she forgot how to behave in such a manner, nor did it mean she wasn't willing to use such skills for the sake of others.

* * *

A quick stroll from the Loud residence brought Mitzie to Flip's Food and Fuel, a cheap convenience store slash gas station. Heading inside the establishment, Mitzie casually walked through the small aisles of various snacks. The British girl took a quick, undetected glance around the store, and saw that while there were video cameras, the little red dots on them weren't lit or blinking.

" _Either those cameras don_ ' _t work_ , _or the owner put them there as a show in a pathetic attempt to deter would-be shoplifters_ ," Mitzie thought as she picked the first candy item that caught her attention, a small bag of gummies with a sour coating. According to the price tag that was on the rack Mitzie got the candy from, the price was only a dollar, well within the British girl's budget (Mitzie was admittedly still getting used to using American currency).

Walking up to the front counter, Mitzie took another look at the inside of the store as a whole. The whole place seemingly gave off an aura that disgusted the British girl; she was fairly certain that those hot dogs and other similar meat products in the hot dog cooker were no longer fit for human consumption, and would cause whoever ate one to become very sick. And yet, if what she had been told was true to its logical extreme, Mitzie wouldn't be surprised if Flip willingly sold one of those expired meat products to an unwitting customer.

Which gave the British girl an idea.

When she got to the counter, she greeted a short-statured man of noticeable age; a quick glance at the tag on the man's shirt allowed Mitzie to identify this man as Flip, the very person that she had been warned about. "'Ello, guv," Mitzie greeted in as friendly a tone as she could manage, getting Flip's attention in the process, "I don't suppose I can get this, can I?"

Taking the candy item that Mitzie had put on the counter, Flip said, "This will be a dollar and fifty cents."

"But the price tag for this candy that was over on the rack said that it was only a dollar," Mitzie pointed out, not at all surprised that Flip was attempting to scam an extra bit of money out of any customer who came into his establishment.

"You must have read it wrong, young lady," Flip replied; the British girl could tell full well that Flip was lying to her face. Back when she lived in the next state over, Mitzie had more than one such encounter with old man Casagrande, albeit all of those incidents happened prior to when that Hispanic teenage boy started working for old man Casagrande. And at least old man Casagrande always had standards; he didn't sell any expired products from what Mitzie ever saw (or stole), and he took better care of his store. Flip, on the other hand, seemingly didn't give a rat's rear end, so long as he lined his pockets with just a bit more money by the end of the day.

The British girl was going to very much enjoy carrying out the plan that she had come up with upon seeing those disgusting-looking meat products slowly turning on the hot dog cooker.

…

Mitzie threw up twice and had to make an emergency dash to the restroom (never did the British girl ever see a less sanitary-looking public restroom in all her life) due to eating that hot dog she bought. And all of that happened _before_ the ambulance pulled up at Flip's Food and Fuel to take Mitzie to Royal Woods General to be treated for food poisoning.

Mitzie already had more than a few ideas of what to say when her family decided to take legal action against Flip. The morally questionable man would get his comeuppance, and those that Flip had swindled in the past would cheer as they hear about his upcoming downfall on the news later tonight. The fact that Mitzie's family will undoubtedly win it big time in a settlement in court was just a happy bonus as far as she was concerned.

And the former punk didn't even have to do anything illegal.

* * *

The day following Mitzie's release from Royal Woods General, the British girl was standing in her bedroom, looking at herself in a full-length mirror. Mitzie had done away with the colored streak that was in her hair, going for full yellow-blonde, and had styled her hair into two side curly pigtails that reached halfway down her torso. Mitzie also wore a white long-sleeved shirt under a light gray sweater-vest, a plaid skirt that reached close to halfway down her legs, and socks that came up to about an inch under her knees. Mitzie had also acquired a pair of brown shoes, but she wasn't wearing them at the time.

Mitzie examined herself in the mirror as she turned around, wanting to get a good look at her new image, her new self. As she turned, there was a knock at the door. "Mitzie, dear, there's a girl here asking for you," Mitzie's mother said on the other side of the door, "Some athlete-looking girl calling herself Lynn."

"I'll be right out, mum!" Mitzie called back out in response. The former punk took one last quick look at herself in the mirror, wondering what her friend's reaction to seeing her look like this would be.

…

"Dude!" Lynn laughed as she and Mitzie drank cans of soda, "I can't believe you ate one of the hot dogs that was cooking in the hot dog cooker over at Flip's! Even my little sister Lana wouldn't eat one of those hot dogs, and she's developed a taste for peanut butter and sauerkraut sandwiches! You're crazy!"

"Well that disgusting bloke was crazy for thinking it was a right proper idea to sell expired products to unwitting customers," Mitzie replied. After draining the last of her can of soda, Mitzie said, "But seriously, luv, back to what I was originally asking you." Gesturing to herself as a whole, the British girl asked, "What do you think of me new look?"

"You look like you could pass for a student at that fictional school for British kids who are wizards," Lynn remarked.

Laughing in a good-natured tone, Mitzie gave her new friend a playful push against her shoulder while saying, "Oh, shut up!" The two girls then proceeded to share a laugh, as a bright friendship started to form between the two of them. The two girls proceeded to spend the rest of the day together, enjoying hanging out with one another, and their friendship overall.

…The sporty Loud sibling had no idea how much she was going to need the support that friendship offered in the coming weeks.

END

Author's notes:

And there...we...go. This takes care of the backlog that I've built up, at least for the time being. Anywho, with this out of the way, I should be able to get my quote unquote 'pet project' up within short order.

As a side note, the unnamed punk kids that appear in this chapter are the same kids who were in the violent youth gang that appeared in 'Broken Mirror'. However, in the universe that the one-shots take place in, the youth gang is nowhere near as violent and cruel as they were in 'Broken Mirror'; here, the most that the kids do are bits of shoplifting from small stores and mild bits of vandalization. They never so much as assaulted anyone. In case it wasn't obvious, the youth gang members here were horrified beyond belief that they actually killed someone, albeit without relizing what they had done until it was too late (Also, the incident ends up scaring some of the gang members straight). Long story short, the youth gang members here are considerably less of a threat than they are in their 'Broken Mirror' incarnation.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not own 'The Loud House' or any other property in this work that I did not make myself.

A collection of Loud House one-shots

Resentment (Plot: After a conversation they had with Bumper Sr. and Jancey Yates surprises Lynn Sr. and Rita Loud, the two Loud parents worry that their relationship with their children may not be the best in the world.)

Lynn Sr. and Rita Loud, when they first met them, never would have expected to be having a casual conversation with Bumper Sr. and Jancey Yates as the four of them had lunch together. But here they were, sitting outside at an outdoor café somewhere in Royal Woods, Michigan. This really kind of threw the two parents of the Loud family for a loop, but they tried to go with the flow as well as they could.

"…And that's when Beatrix fixed what was wrong with the school's website," Jancey said before both she and her husband shared a laugh.

"You don't say, Jancey," Rita remarked before taking a sip of her coffee; the Loud matriarch thought how her own daughter, Lisa, would have not only been able to do what Beatrix did in half the time, but would have also strengthened the school's computers to make them more resistant to viruses and other forms of tampering.

"But enough about me and Bumper's children," Jancey said, "Lynn, Rita, how are your own kids doing?"

"Oh, well me and Rita's daughter Lola recently won another pageant," Lynn Sr. explained. Turning to face his wife, Lynn Sr. asked, "How many does that make now, Rita?"

"I lost track, to be honest," Rita replied.

"How…" Bumper Sr. continued with a hint of hesitation in his tone, "…How about your other children?"

"Well our son Lincoln has recovered enough so that he can finally go back to school," Rita said, "And from what Leni's told me, she finally worked up the courage to tell this boy that she has a crush on how she feels about him, and that boy actually reciprocated Leni's feelings."

"Leni's got herself a boyfriend?" Lynn Sr. said with a hint of surprise in his tone, the kind that comes from a father who is protective of his daughters' well-being.

"Oh yeah," Rita replied with a nod in the affirmative, "I forget the boy's name, but he's the one who tutored Lincoln in Kendo."

"Oh, I think that's Ashe Ace's oldest son you're talking about," Lynn Sr. remarked.

"Ashe Ace?" Bumper Sr. said in a mildly surprised tone, "Isn't she the owner of Odin-Dono's Swedish-Japanese Cuisine?"

"Yeah, that's her, alright," Lynn Sr. replied with a single nod.

The four adults talked for a bit more before Jancey sighed in a mildly resigned tone, which did not go by Lynn Sr. and Rita unnoticed. "Are you okay, Jancey?" Rita asked, "You seemed a bit upset about something."

"Oh, it's…it's nothing to worry about, Rita," Jancey replied, "No need to worry about us." It was then that Rita and Lynn Sr. noticed that Bumper Sr., like Jancey, also looked a bit troubled about something that was on his mind.

"…Come on, you two," Lynn Sr. said, his tone containing a hint of firmness that came out of concern for people he considered as friends, "You can tell Rita and I what's going on."

Bumper Sr. and Jancey exchanged worried looks with each other before they turned to regard Lynn Sr. and Rita. "…Okay, but this may be a lot for you two to take in," Jancey said with a resigned sigh, "Bumper and I…we just found out that our children resent us."

"What?!" Lynn Sr. and Rita exclaimed in unison, not believing what they had just heard.

"Jancey and I only wanted our children to reach their full potential," Bumper Sr. began to say in a tone that sounded with regret, "To make them successful. We felt that if we didn't push our children to succeed, then we'd be failures as parents. But…"

"…But that very mindset you and Jancey had, while driving your children to the top, also slowly drove them away from you on an emotional level," Lynn Sr. said, guessing what Bumper Sr. was trying to get at.

"But after talking to you and Rita, we realized that we were pushing our children too much," Bumper Sr. began, "We even decided to let them unwind from time to time!"

"Like the time where you let them play around for _only seven minutes_?" Rita asked, giving the Yates parents a knowing look.

"We…we messed up big time, I know," Jancey replied in a tone that clearly showed she was disappointed with herself, "Bumper and I kept constantly pushing our children to succeed, never realizing that by doing so, we were pushing them away…"

"The relationship you two have with your own children is a lot more stable, isn't it, Lynn and Rita?" Bumper Sr. asked.

"Of course, it is," Lynn Sr. replied, "Granted we do want our children to succeed, but we know when to push, how to push, and how much we should push. Rita and I take care to make sure we don't go overboard."

"If only Bumper and I had the same level of foresight as you and Rita," Jancey remarked, "Then maybe we'd have more solid bonds with our children."

"But don't let what's wrong with us weigh you two down," Bumper Sr. said, "This is our grave that we dug, so we'll try to remedy the situation."

"If you two need any advice, feel free to hit us up," Lynn Sr. said, drawing appreciative smiles out of Bumper Sr. and Jancey.

"Yeah, Lynn's right," Rita remarked, "The two of us will be here for you if you need it."

"Thanks, you two," Jancey said in an appreciative tone, "I feel like Bumper and I will need all the help we can get when it comes to trying to reestablish bonds with our children." Lynn Sr. and Rita both nodded in understanding, and the mood of the rest of the talk between the four adults took a considerably lighter tone.

* * *

Later, as Lynn Sr. and Rita drove back home, Rita said, "Wow, Lynn. It kind of threw you for a loop to hear that Bumper and Jancey's children actually resent them."

"Well with all due respect to them, they did kind of push their children too much, while giving them too little leeway," Lynn Sr. remarked.

"Do…" Rita remarked, "…do you think we push our own kids too much, dear?"

"What do you mean?" Lynn Sr. asked, curious about his wife's sudden change of tone.

"The talk we had with Bumper and Jancey got me thinking," Rita began to explain, "Thinking about how well we get along with our own kids. What if…" Taking a steadying breath, Rita continued, "…What if any of our own kids resent us?"

"That…" Lynn Sr. remarked, "…That would be rather heartbreaking to learn, yes."

"Lynn, we can't let that happen," Rita said with a hint of determination in her tone, "We have to make sure our children don't resent us."

Lynn Sr. nodded in agreement with what his wife had said. The Loud family patriarch would not like finding out if any of his children resented him for some careless mistake on his part. He knew that when he got home, the first thing that he and his wife would be working on would be improving how well they get along with their children.

* * *

Over at the Loud family's house, the Loud siblings were all doing their own thing. The three oldest Loud siblings, Lori, Leni and Luna, were entertaining the three oldest Ace siblings, Allison, Aggro and Amy. "So yeah, that's literally what he told me during our last conversation over the phone," Lori said to the Ace siblings, "Granted, I wish that it was under completely different circumstances, but even so, it'll be happening."

"Well alright, Lori," Allison remarked, "We'll be backing you in welcoming them here in Royal Woods. What they went through is something that I would never wish on anyone, even any enemies that I take down in single combat."

"I don't suppose you know when we can expect them to show up, do you?" Amy asked.

"Before the end of this month," Lori replied, "I'll call Allison when they show up."

"It has been a while since I saw him," Aggro remarked casually, "He and I are close friends, and I have little doubt that he and I have a lot to catch up on when he gets here."

"The two of you are, like, best friends, Aggro?" Leni said, her tone carrying surprise.

"Pretty much, Leni-chan," Aggro answered, "The two of us have known each other since-" Aggro stopped short when Leni giggling cutely cut him off midsentence. "…Is something the matter?" Aggro asked in a curious tone, arching an eyebrow at Leni.

"She's probably giggling because you just referred to her by some cutesy nickname just now," Luna pointed out.

"…I was actually using an honorific, but whatever," Aggro replied. As the conversation between the three oldest Loud siblings and the three oldest Ace siblings continued, the front door to the Loud family's house opened, and Lynn Sr. walked in with Rita. The noise made by the return of the Loud parents summoned everyone that was in the house at the time.

"Kids, your mother and I have some important announcements to make," Lynn Sr. began.

"I'm going to guess this is a family-only thing, Mr. Loud?" Amy asked as she and her older siblings regarded the Loud family patriarch.

"Yeah, and I'm sorry but I'm going to have to ask you and your siblings to come back tomorrow," Lynn Sr. replied.

"Understandable," Allison said, "It's getting close to dinner anyway." To her siblings, Allison said, "Come on, we've got to get going." The three oldest Ace siblings then took their leave, with Leni even waving Aggro good-bye. When the Ace siblings left, the Loud siblings turned to face their parents.

"Mom, dad, what's going on?" Lola asked, regarding her parents with a curious look.

"Well first off, we're all going out to see a movie," Lynn Sr. announced suddenly, catching his children off guard.

"After that, we'll be heading out for dinner tonight," Rita continued.

"Where is all of this coming from all of a sudden?" Lincoln asked.

"Well sport," Lynn Sr. began, "Your mother and I feel as if the two of us haven't done as much as we can to get to know you and your sisters. Therefore, we decided that we're going to be spending some more time with all of you."

"Well alright," Lincoln replied, "Sounds like it could be fun."

"It _is_ going to be fun, dear," Rita reiterated, "So long as your father and I have anything to say about it."

"So, kids, go and get ready to head out," Lynn Sr. instructed his children, "We're heading to the movie theaters!" The Loud siblings all cheered as they went to their rooms to get ready to head out. As the Loud siblings dispersed, Lynn Sr. and Rita exchanged knowing smiles with each other. Things seemed to be off to a good start so far.

* * *

The following day during breakfast, the Loud siblings were all talking about the movie that they saw last night. "I have yet to determine what that director's apparent fascination with explosions is all about," Lisa said to her siblings in her usual dry monotone.

"I think the explosions are pretty tight, little dude," Luna remarked.

"Bam!" Lana exclaimed as she slammed a fist down on a juice box, causing juice to splash out all over the place and covering most of Lana's siblings.

Laughing while pointing at Lana, Luna said, "See? Lana gets it!"

"…Naturally," Lisa said, a hint of strain in her dry monotone, as she removed her glasses to clean the juice off of the lenses. As the Loud siblings continued to have breakfast, Lynn Sr. and Rita came walking in.

"So, you kids all enjoy last night?" Lynn Sr. asked.

"Yeah, I have no objections, Dad," Luan replied, "Last night's movie was a real _blast_." As Luan laughed at her own joke, the other Loud siblings groaned, although Lynn Sr. found his comedic daughter's joke to be pretty funny.

"Anywho kids, you all better get ready," Rita said, "Because we're going to the mall!"

"Yay!" Leni cheered.

"Wow, first the movies and going out to dinner last night, and now we're literally heading to the mall?" Lori said, "Can we even afford all of this?"

"I'm pretty sure mom and dad know what they're doing, Lori," Lynn remarked, having something of an idea on how their parents can afford all of what they're doing.

* * *

After a fun-filled day at the Royal Woods Mall, Lynn Sr. and Rita decided to take their children out to lunch somewhere. "Hey kids," Lynn Sr. began, "How does Aloha Comrade's all sound to you for lunch?"

"Isn't that where you work, dad?" Luna asked.

"Yes, it is," Lynn Sr. replied, "I get an employee discount due to working there!" The Loud siblings proceeded to talk amongst themselves before Lori, elected as the spokesman of the group due to being the oldest, spoke up.

"Actually, we were literally wondering if we could go to Jean Juan's instead," Lori replied.

"Or maybe Giovanni Chang's," Luna suggested.

"Or Odin-Dono's!" Leni said, "Aggro's family owns that place, so they know us!"

"Come on, kids," Rita said, "Don't you want to support your father?"

"We do, don't get us wrong," Lincoln began, "But we had dinner at Aloha Comrade's last night. We just want to mix things up a bit."

"You had Hawaiian food last night, right Lincoln?" Lynn Sr. began, and after Lincoln replied in the affirmative, Lynn Sr. continued, "Then you can mix it up by getting Russian food this time! I don't mean to brag, but I've learned to make one mean Borscht." The Loud siblings all exchanged mildly concerned looks with each other as Vanzilla proceeded to make its way to the Hawaiian-Russian fusion restaurant.

* * *

Later at the Loud family house, Lori and Leni were in their room, with Lori laying on her bed talking on her smartphone, and Leni working on one of the many dresses she been known to make. The fashionable Loud sibling even managed to get Lincoln to volunteer to serve as a model to wear the clothing she was working on as she made the finishing touches. Lincoln agreed to do so when Lori said that she was fine with Lincoln being in the room; due to recent events, Lori had softened up in certain areas, such as she rules for her younger siblings entering her bedroom. It helped that Leni, who shared the room with Lori, had just as much say as Lori.

"Hey Leni, Lori," Lincoln began, "What do the two of you think about mom and dad wanting to spend so much time with us all of a sudden?"

"Is there something wrong with that, Linky?" Leni asked, a hint of concern in her tone.

"Oh no, I don't see anything wrong with mom and dad wanting to try and get to know us better," Lincoln clarified, "However, mom and dad are being…umm, how do I put this without coming off as too mean…"

"They're literally being pushy about it," Lori remarked, and when Lincoln and Leni looked over to their older sister, Lori said, "Hey, they are kind of forcing us in hanging out with them if you think about it, and they are trying to control where we go and what we do. Remember earlier how they took us and our sisters to Aloha Comrade, even though we went there for dinner last night, and we suggested other places in Royal Woods?"

"I was totes hoping to see Aggro at the place his family owns," Leni remarked with a hint of regret in her otherwise entirely happy tone.

"Don't worry, Leni," Lincoln said to his older sister in a reassuring tone, "I'm certain that if you, me, Lori, and the rest of the girls all talk to mom and dad about it, they'll let us have a bit more say the next time we all head out for dinner. I'm also certain that they'll listen to us the next time we all go out to see a movie."

"Oh yeah, thanks for literally reminding me, Lincoln," Lori said, "Out of all of us and our sisters, the only ones who voted for seeing that explosion-heavy movie from last night were Lana and Luna, with the rest of us all wanting to see that comedy movie. I'm sure that dad wanting to see that explosion-heavy movie as well was the deciding factor in what movie we saw last night."

"Didn't mom have to, like, take Lily out of the theater when the first major explosion of the movie made her cry?" Leni asked.

"Well don't worry," Lincoln said, "All we have to do is get together with the rest of our sisters, talk to mom and dad about it, and things should play smoothly out from there."

With a slight giggle, Leni said, "You're right, Linky. We just have to talk to mom and dad about it, and they should be willing to hear us out."

"I'm not so sure about that, but it literally wouldn't hurt to try," Lori remarked before going back to her smartphone.

* * *

Down in the living room, Rita was sitting on the sofa while feeding Lily with a bottle while the news was playing on the TV. "…The ongoing wildfire is proving to be very difficult for local emergency workers to combat," the news anchor said, "Outside help will most likely have to be called in so that the wildfire can finally be extinguished. In other news, the death toll of the recent riot that took place in Great Lakes City has been confirmed to be at five-hundred and eighty-seven. The mayor of the city where the riot took place said when…"

The rest of the news was ignored when Lily let out a burp. "Oh, are you all done, sweetie?" Rita cooed as she held her infant daughter up, prompting the baby Loud sibling to giggle cutely. Getting up from the sofa, Rita was going to make her way into the kitchen when she was met up by Lincoln and the Loud girls minus Lily (who Rita was carrying).

"Mom, we literally need to talk to you and dad," Lori began.

"Well alright, Lori," Rita replied, "We just have to wait for your father to-"

"Guess who's back!" Lynn Sr. said in a cheerful tone as he came back into the house after having gone somewhere. Seeing all of his children standing there, Lynn Sr. said, "Kids, go and grab your swimsuits, because we're heading to the beach!"

"Really?" Lola said in a mildly confused but ultimately excited tone; as a self-proclaimed 'proper lady', Lola likes to get any and every chance she can get to work on her tan at the beach.

"Dad, that sounds great," Lori began, "But we literally need to-"

"Come on, kids!" Lynn Sr. said, interrupting his oldest child in the process, "Let's get going, already!"

"Your father has a point, kids," Rita remarked, "And I bet all of you would look great in your respective swim wear!"

"Umm, yeah, about that, mom," Lincoln said in a concerned tone, "I don't think that I'd feel comfortable with dressing up to head down to the beach."

"Come on, sport," Lynn Sr. said to the sole Loud boy, "You don't want to disappoint your sisters by refusing to go to the beach, do you?"

"Actually pops," Luna began in a tone showing that she knew what Lincoln was getting at, "I think that Lincoln totally has a good reason for not wanting to go to the beach."

"Nonsense," Rita said as she got all of her children's attention, "Heading to the beach sounds like an excellent idea! Let's do it!"

"I'll get a cooler packed," Lynn Sr said as he and Rita went about getting everything ready for a trip to the beach, with Rita leaving Lily with Lori.

"…I really hope pops and mom won't try to force their way into going to Music-palooza with us in a week and a half," Luna remarked in an unamused deadpan.

* * *

Later that evening, getting close to around dinner time, the Louds all returned home. As they walked in, there were disappointed looks on the faces of the Loud sisters, an upset look on Lincoln's face that suggested he might start crying, and happy oblivious looks on the faces of Lynn Sr. and Rita. "So, kids, wasn't going to the beach with your father and me as great as you imagined?" Rita asked in a happy, almost perky tone.

"It was literally one of the worst trips that we ever took!" Lori snapped as she turned to face her parents, prompting Rita and Lynn Sr. to regard their oldest child with surprised expressions. The other Loud siblings turned to face Rita and Lynn Sr. as well, and aside from Lincoln who still looked upset, the Loud siblings all had expressions similar to what Lori had going.

"What do you mean, Lori?" Lynn Sr. asked in a mildly concerned tone, "I thought that you and your siblings liked going to the beach!"

"Lori's totes right, dad," Leni said in a disappointed tone as she regarded her parents with a mild scowl, "That beach trip was, like, so bad!"

"We thought that you and your siblings would like going to the beach with your father and I," Rita said, her tone matching that of Lynn Sr.'s.

"That's just it, mom!" Lynn nearly exclaimed, "We went to the beach with you and dad! We went _everywhere_ with you and dad! Nonstop! For the past few days!"

"And what's worse is that the whole time, you and dad gave what Lincoln, the girls and I said very little consideration, if any at all," Lucy pointed out, "The movie that we voted on seeing when we went to the theater was that explosion-heavy movie that only Lana and Luna-that's two out of _eleven_ -voted on seeing, completely ignoring the vast majority. You two also decided on taking all of us to Aloha Comrade for both dinner after the movie, and for lunch earlier today, even though all of us voted for either Jean Juan's, Giovanni Chang's or Odin-Dono's on each occasion, completely ignoring us altogether."

"Yeah, even I have to agree that ignoring everyone other than Lana and me when it came to what movie we saw last night was kind of a bad move, dudes," Luna said to her parents, with Lana nodding in agreement.

"And let's not forget what we literally just got back from," Lori said, "You two decide, out of the blue, to take us all to the beach, without even giving us a chance to voice our opinion."

"I saw a few people at the beach pointing to Lincoln like something was wrong with him," Luan said to Rita and Lynn Sr., giving the two a stern, disappointed look, "You and dad forgot what happened to Lincoln a few months back, didn't you?" With everything that their children were telling them, Rita and Lynn Sr. began to look guilty.

"Kids, look," Lynn Sr. began, "Your mother and I are sorry that we've been ignoring what you were trying to tell us. It's…it's just that we were concerned."

"Concerned?" Lana said in a confused tone as she and her siblings began to regard their parents with curious looks.

"A few days ago," Rita began, "Your father and I caught up with our friends Jancey and her husband Bumper."

"Oh, you mean the Yates's parents?" Lisa said.

Nodding in the affirmative to Lisa's inquiry, Rita continued, "While your father and I talked to them, Jancey and her husband said that they recently found out that their kids…" Taking a breath to steady herself, Rita continued, "…Their kids resent them."

"No surprise there," Luna remarked in an unsurprised tone, "Beatrix totally told me about how her parents continually push her and her siblings to be 'well-rounded', while giving them next to zero time to unwind. Remember that seven minutes the Yates's parents gave them to unwind? Beatrix told me that seven minutes was _all_ that her and her siblings' parents permitted, and it was the _only_ time that she and her siblings ever remember getting to ever unwind. _At all_."

"Well here's the thing," Lynn Sr. explained, "Your mother and I were worried that you kids might resent us." Hearing their father say that made the Loud siblings all turn to regard him with confused looks that had hints of concern in them.

"Your father and I decided to try and spend as much time bonding with you kids in the hopes that you wouldn't resent us down the road," Rita explained. With a resigned sigh, Rita added, "But I guess that plan just got thrown out the window, huh? Kids, I'm sorry that your father and I were being so pushy in spending time with you. I'm also sorry how we pretty much didn't pay any attention to your feelings on the matter."

"I'm sorry too, kids," Lynn Sr. said in a regretful tone, "Some parents your mother and I turned out to be, huh?" The Loud siblings all exchanged concerned looks with each other before they all returned their attention to their parents.

"Mom, dad, look," Lori began, "The girls, Lincoln and I literally appreciate the fact that you care enough about all of us that you'd want to spend so much time with us."

"Yeah, that is pretty cool," Lynn remarked, "But there comes a time where you've got to give us a little bit of space, you know? It also wouldn't hurt that if you ever want to spend time with us, that you'll consider what we have to say."

"Just let us speak our mind and give us an equal say in what we do together, alright?" Luna asked, "You two are pretty solid as far as being parents go."

Both Rita and Lynn Sr. smiled sympathetically as they grouped their kids together into a group hug. "Thanks for being so understanding, kids," Rita said, "Your father and I will try to hear you all out more from now on."

"Also, I'm sorry about you getting embarrassed at the beach, son," Lynn Sr. said to Lincoln.

"Just…just remember what happened and take that into consideration, okay?" Lincoln replied as he returned his father's efforts in the group hug.

"Well now," Lynn Sr. said as he and everyone else broke away from the group hug, "I say this calls for a celebration! Are you kids up for heading out to dinner again?"

The Loud siblings all turned to regard each other, formed a group huddle, and conversed with each other for a bit until they broke out of the huddle. "Actually mom, that literally sound like a pretty good idea," Lori replied, a small but gentle smile on her face.

"Well alright!" Lynn Sr. cheered as he pumped a fist into the air, "Aloha Comrade, here we-"

"The girls, Lincoln and I all literally voted on Odin-Dono's," Lori said, interrupting her father in the process and making him stop mid-cheer.

With a bit of an amused chuckle that sounded with understanding, Lynn Sr. said, "Alright, we'll head to Odin-Dono's."

"I hope I'll see Aggro there," Leni said as she and the rest of the louds got ready to head to the fusion restaurant of their choice for dinner.

END

Author's notes:

The first ten one-shots in this collection are set prior to 'Ten Reasons', and they occur in the order that they appear. This one-shot is the first in this collection to be set _after_ 'Ten Reasons', and picks up…I'd say a few days after the Ace siblings pick their pets up from the Louds, who were pet-sitting for them while they were over in Great Lakes City. Anywho, the next one-shot will involve Lynn and Luan having a conflict of some sort with each other.

As a side note, the 'Music-palooza' event that Luna mentioned will come up in my Loud House stories later. Music-palooza actually takes place during the second chapter of Yugioh 5Ds After Hours, another one of my stories, believe it or not.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I do not own 'The Loud House' or any other property in this work that I did not make myself.

A collection of Loud House one-shots

Athletic comedy (Plot: Lynn and Luan get into something of an argument after everyone gets home from school one day. When the two girls get in trouble due to what their argument led to, they have to put up with each other when they're left to look after Lincoln.)

Rita Loud, the wife of Lynn Sr., had gone to pick up all of the Loud siblings from Leni to Lisa, given that school was out for the day. Since Rita took Lily, the baby of the family, with her, this left Lynn Sr. and Lori, the oldest Loud sibling, as the only ones that were home alone. The reason why Lori wasn't at school was because she came down with something of a fever and had to take the day off of school to recuperate.

"Hey Lori," Lynn Sr. asked as he looked over to see where his eldest daughter sat, "Are you starting to feel better?"

"A little bit," Lori said in something of a resigned tone, looking down at the table. Casting a glance up at her father, Lori continued, "But I'm still kind of under the weather right now, so I'm literally not in all that good a shape."

"Oh," Lynn Sr. replied, looking mildly embarrassed as he realized what his oldest daughter was talking about, "Sorry, sweetie."

"Meh, it'll pass," Lori went on with a shrug, "I mean, all I have is a fever. Compared to some of the things Lincoln went through over the course of a few months a while back, this fever I've got is literally no-" Lori was cut off when the front door opened, and Lynn Sr. and Lori heard arguing coming from some of Lori's younger sisters. "What are Lynn and Luan shouting about?" Lori remarked, having instantly recognized which of her younger sisters were arguing.

"Are you insane, Lynn?!" Luan exclaimed as the family started filing into the dining room where Lynn Sr. and Lori were talking, "Do you know how embarrassed I was?!"

"Oh, I'm _so_ sorry," Lynn replied, clearly sounding sarcastic when she said 'so', "I had no idea that _you_ ' _re_ the only one who's aloud to be funny!"

"What's going on now?" Lynn Sr. asked, getting his wife and their children to turn and regard him and Lori.

"Well when I went to pick Leni, Luna and Luan up from the High School," Rita began to explain, "We saw that Luan was talking to that Benny boy she talks about. When we got out of the van to go gather the girls, Lynn told Benny that short little bit about how obsessed Luan was with this one book series back when she was Lucy's age."

"Why would you do that to me, Lynn?" Luan asked, looking mildly upset, "Why would you go and tell Benny about how I used to be all the way back then?"

"Maybe now you'll think twice before planning a remote-controlled fart machine under a chair I'm sitting in and constantly set it off while I'm sitting next to Ulfric," Lynn replied, "I don't want him thinking that I'm the second coming of Lori, alright?"

"Hey!" Lori snapped.

"Besides," Lynn said as she continued her triad against Luan, "You embarrass us all the time, what with all of the pranks you pull! It doesn't feel too good to be on the other end, does it?"

"Girls, settle down," Lynn Sr. ordered, getting Lynn and Luan to hush up instantly. But the comedic Loud sibling and the sporty Loud sibling still glared daggers at each other. Lori could tell right away that this was going to be an ongoing problem for a while.

* * *

Later that evening, sometime before dinner, Lori and Leni were up in their room talking to each other. Luna and Lincoln had joined them, Luna because she wanted to get away from Luan complaining about Lynn, and Lincoln because Leni wanted to use him to help her make a dress by being a mannequin again. Similar to how she was during the talk she had with Lynn Sr., Lori was still dealing with a bit of her fever. "Why don't you try drinking a hot cup of tea?" Leni suggested, "Aggro says that he has this loose-leaf tea blend that works wonders on a sick person who drinks it."

"Well that is nice, I suppose," Lori remarked, "But I'm doubting that a cup of magic tea or whatever will make my fever go away."

"Well it sounds like a promising idea to me, Lori," Lincoln pointed out as he held an arm out so that Leni could do some sewing work on the sleeve of the dress he was wearing, "I mean, would you rather try some of Aggro-sensei's loose-leaf tea blend, or do you want to give in to Lisa's suggestion and try that experimental fever cure she came up with?"

"…Yeah, I'm literally not trying any 'experimental cure' that Lisa comes up with," Lori replied, "So if Allison's brother is willing to let me try that tea of his, I'll give it a go. Hell, if Allison wants to try her hand at making me feel better, I'll give what she suggests a go as well, although knowing her, Allison might hand me a drinking horn of-" Lori was cut off when she, Leni, Luna and Lincoln all heard some crashing noises coming from downstairs, followed immediately by more argumentative shouting from Lynn and Luan.

"The bloody hell is wrong with those birds?" Luna muttered to herself as she, Lori, Leni and Lincoln all left the room (Lincoln took off the dress he was wearing first) to go see what was going on. When the four of them climbed down the stairs, Lori, Leni, Luna and Lincoln all saw as Lynn and Luan were apparently wrestling with each other, their arguing having finally come to blows. The rest of the Loud siblings, minus Lily who was put down for a nap, were also there watching Lynn and Luan duke it out.

There were also at least two broken lamps and a broken vase in the living room. Upon seeing the broken vase, Lori gasped in shock, then she whistled loud enough to make everyone in the living room flinch, successfully making Lynn and Luan stop what they were doing. With Lynn's and Luan's attention on her, Lori pointed to the ruined remains of the vase.

"I don't suppose that either of you two would literally care to tell me what that is supposed to be?" Lori asked, making both younger girls turn to see the smashed vase. "That was the vase that Bobby brought us when he thought that Aunt Ruth died, even though Aunt Ruth was really only in the hospital," Lori said, clearly sounding upset, "There was a large bouquet of flowers in it and everything when he handed it to me."

"Uhh, Lori-" Lynn began, but she was cut off as the oldest Loud sibling clearly wasn't done yet.

"That wasn't one of those cheap vases that the flower store throws in when you buy a whole bunch of flowers from them either," Lori went on, "That was an antique vase that Bobby bought from the local antiques shop because he thought that's what everyone does when bringing flowers to someone who lost a loved one. That vase cost my Boo-Boo Bear eight-hundred and fifty dollars, you two! Eight-hundred and fifty dollars!"

"Uh-oh," Luan said.

"Yeah, uh-oh!" Lori remarked, "When mom and dad get back from Mr. Grouse's because dad was returning the lawnmower he borrowed while mom could borrow two cups of sugar for some baking that she has planned, they're going to-"

"Going to do what, exactly?" Lynn Sr.'s familiar voice called out, making the girls all turn around and see that their parents had returned. "Lori," Lynn Sr. began, "If there is something that you need to Oh my goodness, look at this mess!"

"Yeah, that's what I was going to tell you about," Lori remarked as she gestured to the smashed remains of the vase and the two lamps, "Lynn and Luan are at each other's throats once again, and not only did they break two lamps in their fighting, but they also broke the expensive vase that Bobby brought when he bought us flowers!"

"Was it the one from the time Bobby stopped by after I gave birth to Lily, the one from the time that Bobby thought that Aunt Ruth died even though she was really only in the hospital, or the one when he bought you flowers for your birthday last week?" Rita asked her oldest daughter, looking mildly curious.

"The second one," Lori replied dryly.

"That's the expensive one!" Rita exclaimed, "I…I need to go sit down…" After Rita disappeared into the dining room with the sugar she borrowed from Mr. Grouse, Lynn Sr. turned to face Lynn and Luan. The Loud family patriarch looked very disappointed in both his comedic daughter and his athletic daughter.

"Luan, junior, I can't believe you two would let some petty argument between the two of you go so far," Lynn Sr. said in a disappointed tone, "I mean, seriously! You ruined something that your sister's boyfriend spent nearly one thousand dollars on! That is not something that we can just up and replace so easily!"

"So…what now?" Luan asked, both herself and Lynn looking an even mix of ashamed and worried.

"Hmm…" Lynn Sr. replied as he gave the notion some thought, "…Normally, I would discuss matters like this with your mother. However, it was technically Lori's vase that you broke, and she is an adult living in this house, so I'm going to let her decide how you and Junior are to be punished. Within reason, of course."

"You're going to let Lori punish us?" Lynn nearly exclaimed, both herself and Luan clearly looking freaked out; as far as either of them could know, their oldest sister might serious turn the both of them into literal human pretzels. Lynn and Luan were the only Loud sisters freaking out, though; all of the other Loud sisters aside from Lori all found great amusement in this situation, and some of them even tried to offer their oldest sister some suggestions.

"Throw Luan's dummy and Lynn's sports balls into a wood chipper!" Lola said.

"Have them act as your personal slaves until you think they've suffered enough!" Lana offered.

"Make Luan get rid of all of her stuff so that I have more room to jam out!" Luna suggested.

"Have the both of them volunteer their services as test subjects in a few auxiliary experiments that I've been meaning to run!" Lisa more or less asked.

"Make Lynn pick her clothes up off of the floor because Fangs keeps mistaking piles of Lynn's dirty laundry for nests," Lucy said in her usual emotionless monotone.

"Girls, girls, this is Lori's decision," Lynn Sr. said to his other daughters, "So let her take care of it. Also, some of those suggestions didn't sound like they were within reason to me." Turning to face Lori, Lynn Sr. said, "Well, Lori? Do you have any ideas?"

"I have a few, actually," Lori replied, "But before I decide, since Leni and Lincoln are the only ones who didn't say anything, I want to hear if they have any suggestions first, mostly because I'm just curious."

"I was going to suggest that you make them let me use them as mannequins for designing dresses," Leni said.

"I was going to suggest that you could make both of them work together to raise the money to pay you back the value of the vase that they broke, and only then would their punishment be over," Lincoln suggested.

Lori, who was mildly wide-eyed with surprise that indicated being impressed, said, "That…is actually a really good idea, Lincoln. It's literally way better than what I had in mind, actually." Turning to face Lynn Sr. Lori asked, "Is that reasonable?"

"I have no problem with it," the Loud patriarch replied.

Nodding once in thanks to her father, Lori then turned to face Lynn and Luan before she said to them, "So yeah, the two of you better get working, because the both of you owe me a combined eight-hundred and fifty dollars."

"Eight-hundred and fifty dollars?" Luan nearly exclaimed, "That will take forever!"

"I don't know about that, Luan," Lynn replied in something of a knowing tone as she turned to face her comedic older sister, "I think that we might actually be able to-"

"Also, Lynn can't use any of the ten-thousand dollars she got for catching that guy who was tied to the attack on the elementary school," Lincoln said, drawing a nod of agreement from Lori.

Snapping her fingers, Lynn said in a disappointed tone, "Dang it."

* * *

The following day at Royal Woods Middle School, Lynn was looking at a bulletin board in the office area of the school's main building. Since she and Luan had to raise a combined eight-hundred and fifty dollars (Lori was personally keeping track of how much Lynn and Luan had left to pay back), Lynn figured that since there were occasionally wanted adds posted here for one-time jobs that people needed done, she could do some of those.

These jobs were generally posted by teachers and other members of the staff, and usually either consisted of coming to a client's house to do chores, or maybe babysitting or petsitting. These jobs all also always paid, ranging from five dollars to the lowest to twenty dollars to the highest. That aforementioned sum of twenty dollars for the best-paying jobs is actually an average; there were occasionally jobs that paid more, with the highest that Lynn ever recalled seeing being fifty dollars. In addition to job requests like that, there were also usually postings that offered tutoring services, or someone saying that they'd buy something or are selling something. The system this bulletin board offered was not unlike quest systems in some RPG-type games.

As Lynn scanned the board, hoping to find a job that paid as much as possible while still being within her skill set, she heard a familiar voice call out, "On the hunt for some work, I take it?" Coming out of her focus, Lynn turned to her side and saw Ulfric Aesir standing there. "You're looking at the bulletin board with a lot of focus," Ulfric went on, "And Mitzie has told me how your family occasionally hurts for pocket change." Putting his hands on his hips, Ulfric asked, "Is there anything going on that I or any of our friends should be made aware of?"

The sporty Loud returned her attention to the bulletin board. Ulfric's interest in Lynn's behavior here piqued his interest. Sighing in a resigned tone, Lynn said, "Me and my sister Luan got into a wrestling match that broke some really expensive vase, and both Luan and I have to raise the money to pay back the value of the vase that we broke."

"You got into a fight with your older sister?" Ulfric asked, looking mildly surprised, "What happened?"

"You know how Luan likes to be funny, right?" Lynn replied dryly, and after Ulfric nodded in the affirmative, Lynn continued with a mild hint of bitter annoyance in her tone, "Well as it turns out, Luan can dish it but can't take it. She didn't like something I did and decided to make a very clear point of it. As a result, we ended up breaking the aforementioned vase."

"I see," Ulfric replied, instantly able to tell that there was more in play than what Lynn was willing to admit. However, he knew it would be a touchy subject, so the decided to let it be. "You are going to be okay though, are you not?" Ulfric asked, "If there is anything that I can help you out with, then do not hesitate to let me know."

Ulfric's question, as well as what followed it, drew an appreciative smile from the sporty Loud sibling. Walking up to Ulfric, Lynn gently placed a hand on the side of his face, reached up, and kissed him on the lips. "Thanks for the support, Ulfric," Lynn replied after she pulled back, "You have no idea what I'm going through."

Smiling gently in an understanding manner, Ulfric replied, "It would not be proper of me to, as some would say, leave you out in the cold, especially since we're together now." Lynn nodded once before Ulfric took off. When the Swedish boy was gone, Lynn returned her attention to the bulletin board, to continue looking for a job posting that would pay well.

* * *

The following Friday evening, most of the Louds were gearing up to go on a family night out. There would most like be dinner and a movie. As Rita came walking out of the dining room while adjusting the strap of her purse, Leni came walking down the stairs, a noticeably worried look on her face. This did not es cape unnoticed by the Loud matriarch. "Leni, sweetie, what's wrong?" Rita asked.

"Linky came out of the bathroom saying he threw up in the toilet," Leni explained, "I think he, like, might be getting sick."

"Oh geez," Rita said as she went up the stairs to the second floor. After about a minute or so, Rita came back down and confronted everyone else on the ground floor. "Yeah, Lincoln won't be able to come," Rita said to the rest of the Louds, "He's come down with something."

"Well he did say something about how the food he had for lunch at school today left him with a funny feeling," Lynn Sr. remarked, "It's probably what made him sick." After thinking about it for a few seconds, the Loud patriarch said, "You think we should call off our plans for tonight, or maybe call someone to look after Lincoln while we're out?"

"We should call someone, daddy," Lola remarked, "I mean, I hate that Lincoln's sick, but we shouldn't let that ruin the plans we had as a family tonight just because one of us is sick, especially if we have options available that lets us both continue with the family night plans and have someone look after Lincoln."

"I have an idea that I bet would work," Luna began. Jerking a thumb over her should to point out Lynn and Luan, Luna continued, "Why not make Lynn and Luan stay behind to look after the bro? They're both still technically in trouble anyway."

"Oh, come on!" Luan exclaimed, "Are you for real?"

"That is literally one of the best ideas I ever heard, Luna," Lori remarked, "Of course, it'll be up to mom and dad whether or not-"

"I'm okay with it," Lynn Sr. said, interrupting his oldest child in the process.

"Me too," Rita added.

"Then it's settled," Lori said. Pointing to Lynn and Luan, Lori continued, "You two will stay here and keep an eye on Lincoln while he's sick. Got it?"

With a dry look on her face, Lynn replied, "Do Luan and I have a choice in the matter?" Luan, like her sporty younger sister, could only sigh in a tone similar to Lynn's, knowing full well that they were going to be forced to miss out on dinner out and a movie.

* * *

"I can't believe it," Lynn said in a tone of complaint as she and Luan were stuck at their family's house, "We're missing out on Giovanni Chang's and the new action movie in theaters!"

"Well," Luan began in a mildly annoyed tone, "Maybe if you didn't blab to Benny about how I was into a goofy book series back when I was Lucy's age, then maybe none of this would have happened in the first place!"

"How is it MY fault that you can't take what you can dish?" Lynn retorted, "Besides, I only did that because you just HAD to pull that fart prank on me while I was sitting next to Ulfric! Do you have any idea how embarrassed I was, worried that the boy that I have a crush on, who need I point out had JUST become my boyfriend within very recent events, might get it into his head that I'm Lori part two?!"

The two sisters began to get into a heated back-and-forth kind of argument, but both were cut off when they heard someone whistle in a manner to get them to stop. Turning in the appropriate direction, Lynn and Luan saw Lincoln standing about halfway up the stairs. It was clear by the look on the sole Loud boy's face that he was not feeling very well.

"If you ask me," Lincoln said, his tone as firm as he could manage given that he's under the weather at the moment, "I think both of you are at fault."

"How are both of us at fault?" Luan asked, a mildly incredulous look on her face.

"Luan, you're at fault because you pulled a really embarrassing stunt on Lynn right while she was with her boyfriend," Lincoln explained. Turning to face Lynn, Lincoln continued, "And you, Lynn, are at fault because of how you retaliated against Luan for the stunt she pulled. It's clear that both of you went way too far, so now you both have to own up for what you both did." With a mildly resigned look on his face, Lincoln added, "Just like how I have to own up whenever I mess up badly."

"…Oh…" Lynn said as she and Luan both slumped slightly in shame.

"And that's part of the reason why I said that you couldn't use any of the ten grand you got for catching that one guy," Lincoln said to his athletic older sister, "You would have essentially bought your and Luan's way out of being punished, meaning neither of you would have learned anything ultimately."

Both Lynn and Luan realized what their little brother was getting at; he had a bit of a history of messing up himself, but he always tried to make up for the mistakes he made. On the other hand, whenever one of the girls (including themselves) ever messed up, it was a very rare occasion indeed when the girl in question ever had to take responsibility; there were at least three separate occasions where one of the Loud girls was forced to own up to a mistake because otherwise there would have either been a lot of legal trouble, or the punishment would have been much worse without the girl in question owning up.

Both the athletic and the comedic Loud siblings felt guilty, realizing that they both shared equal blame in this regard. Luan was about to say something to her and Lynn's little brother, but she was cut off when she, Lynn and Lincoln all heard the kitchen door that led into the backyard open up. Lynn held her left index finger up in a gesture to her siblings, conveying for them to remain quiet.

…

A man in his late twenties broke into the Loud family house, having previously seen the family drive off. With the residents of this house gone for a while, he had the perfect chance to rob the place, taking what he wished. Even though he had a good bit of time, the man knew that he could not afford to dawdle.

As he carefully and quietly made his way through the kitchen and out into the dining room, he was caught off guard when a young girl wearing a red and white sporting outfit, armed with an aluminum baseball bat, came running up from behind; the man turned just in time to take a staggering hit to his forehead, making him stumble back. He ended up falling onto his back when he was tripped from behind.

Looking up, the man saw a girl wearing a white sleeveless top and a yellow skirt. Both this girl, and the sporty looking girl when she came walking up, both looked very unhappy with the man, and their unhappy looks were the last thing the man saw before the sporty looking girl hit him across the face with a punch that was hard enough to knock him out.

* * *

The Loud family had to cut their night out plans short when Lynn Sr. got a call from police saying that they were at his family's place, arresting a man who had tried to break in. By the time the Louds got back home, they saw an officer talking to Lynn and Luan. When the rest of the Louds got close enough, they could hear what the officer was saying, and from the sounds of it, he was praising Lynn and Luan.

"What's going on here, officer?" Lynn Sr. asked. The officer asked to see some identification, and after Lynn Sr. confirmed that he was the head of the household, the officer began to explain what was going on.

"Yeah, a known burglar tried breaking into your family's house, only to be confronted and subdued by your two daughters here," the officer said to the Loud patriarch while gesturing to Lynn and Luan, "They say that you and your wife left them here to look after their little brother who is sick. Is that correct?"

"Yes, officer," Lynn Sr. replied, "Luan and Junior here were being punished because they broke a really expensive antique, so my wife and I figured that we could have Junior and Luan watch their younger brother while he's sick while the rest of the family went out for dinner and a movie." With a concerned sigh, Lynn Sr. added, "We had no idea about the burglar, though."

"It's okay, sir," the officer said, "It sounds like a reasonable enough punishment to me, and there really was no way of telling that there was going to be a break in at your family's house while three of your children were alone." With a mildly amused look, the officer added, "How much was that antique that your daughters broke? Because since your daughters caught that burglar, they're entitled to a one-thousand-dollar reward for information leading to the burglar's arrest."

"One-thousand-dollars?!" Lynn Sr. nearly exclaimed, clearly taken aback by this information. As the officer and the rest of the Louds continued to talk, Lynn and Luan turned around to look at each other. They both gave each other knowing looks, looks that suggested lessons learned and bonds restored.

* * *

After the one-thousand dollars was received the following morning for catching the burglar, the Loud family talked it over with Lynn, Luan and Lori; since Lynn and Luan stopped a criminal from robbing the family's home and they also saved Lincoln from potentially getting hurt by a criminal, Lori agreed to Lynn Sr. and Rita's suggestion of taking what Lynn and Luan owed for the broken vase out of the reward money.

This left Lynn and Luan with one-hundred and fifty dollars which, when divided equally, left Lynn and Luan with seventy-five dollars each. Although it wasn't much, both Lynn and Luan still had some reasonable pocket money, and they were no longer under punishment. Besides which, after the experiences they went through, the understanding of each other they now had, Lynn and Luan thought that it was worth it.

Lincoln, the twins and Lucy were sitting in the living room, with the girls watching Saturday morning cartoons and Lincoln playing on a handheld video game system. As they all did their activities, Lynn and Luan came walking into the house, having just returned from somewhere. "Hey Lincoln," Lynn called out, "You feeling better?"

"A little bit," the sole Loud boy replied, "Why do you ask?" In response, the athletic and the comedic Loud sisters came up and gave Lincoln some snacks that they bought while out.

"We figured that you could use a little pick-me-up while you're still under the weather," Luan said, "So Lynn and I sprung for these."

"Wow, thanks Lynn and Luan," Lincoln replied, sounding surprised that his older sisters went through the trouble for him.

"Hey," Lola said in a mild tone of complaint, "Do the rest of us get anything?"

"No," Lynn replied flatly.

Snapping her fingers, Lola said, "Dang it."

END

Author's notes:

I…really kind of blanked on this one, given that I left it partly unfinished as I worked on a number of my other stories. Hopefully I can avoid that problem with the next one-shot in the collection, which will feature something that's been hinted at for quite some time. It will be an interesting chapter, what with the references to stories outside of the one-shot collection. There will also be a fair bit of sad moments, but I'm aiming to make the next one-shot an ultimately heartwarming read. I would also like to apologize if this was a long time coming, but hopefully I can play a bit of catch-up.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I do not own 'The Loud House' or any other property in this work that I did not make myself.

A collection of Loud House one-shots

Somber Reunion (Plot: A certain family moves back into Royal Woods with the intention to stay, even bringing some relatives with them. Although many of their old friends in Royal Woods, the Louds especially, are ecstatic of their return, it's nonetheless a return that's on the somber side of things.)

The Loud siblings were all hanging out in the living room of their family's house in Royal Woods, Michigan, on one well enough morning. The lot of them looked somewhat drained, as if they were recuperating from a multi-day long party. Lori, the oldest of the Loud siblings at eighteen (she very recently reached adulthood) let out a moan of complaint as she sat on the far left side (if you're standing in front of it) of the sofa in the living room.

"Luna," Lori remarked to her musically inclined younger sister, "That blonde guy who's friends with your friend Crow from California is literally a total jerk, especially because of what he called Leni."

"Hey, we got back at Jack, didn't we?" Luna retorted in an annoyed tone.

"Umm, girls," Lincoln, the only boy out of the eleven Loud siblings, began in a concerned tone as he got the attention of his sisters, "I know what that Jack guy with the Australian accent said to Leni was rather cruel, but don't you think you all went a bit overboard in getting back at the guy?"

"Pfft," Luna said in a dismissive tone as she waved a hand at Lincoln in a likewise dismissive manner, "Crow told me that Jack will get over it."

With a confused look on his face, Lincoln asked, "Umm, how exactly will Jack get over being-" Before the sole Loud boy could continue with his line of questioning, he was cut off by a knock at the front door, to which he got up from where he was sitting on the floor, walked over to the front door, and opened it. Lincoln didn't exactly get to see _who_ was at the front door before he was surprised-hugged by someone, their arms wrapping around him, pinning his arms to his sides.

Lincoln was, at first, about to react. However, upon seeing that familiar dark hair in a single ponytail, that familiar hoodie in that familiar shade of purple, and hearing that familiar female voice cry softly as its owner buried her face in the sole Loud boy's left shoulder, Lincoln could do nothing, nothing expect look up at that familiar older brother figure of his.

Rubbing the back of his head in a manner in a manner that conveyed some degree of embarrassment, Bobby Santiago said, "Heh, sorry about dropping in like this, bro. I…I don't suppose that Lori's home, is she?" After Ronnie Anne was removed from him with some help from Bobby, Lincoln showed the two Santiago siblings inside.

* * *

"…After the rioting over in Great Lakes City ended," Bobby began as he and Ronnie Anne were telling the Loud siblings what had happened, "After what happened to Grandpa Hector's store, after what…" Bobby took a steadying breath before he continued, "…What happened to Aunt Frieda and Uncle Carlos, mom and my grandparents decided that there was nothing left for us in Great Lakes City. As such, they decided to move all of us here to Royal Woods after mom convinced Grandpa Hector and Grandma Rosa that it as a good idea."

With a resigned sigh, Lori said, "Boo-Boo Bear, I literally cannot begin to express how sorry I am that all of that happened to you, your sister, and the rest of your family. If there is anything that you guys need, just give me a call."

"Yeah, Lori's right," Lincoln said as he stood up, flinching slightly as he got up while seemingly favoring one of his legs. Standing up straight, the sole Loud boy continued, "I'm sure Lori and I speak for all of our sisters when we say that we'll do what we can to help you guys out with whatever you need, be it settling in, lending a shoulder to cry on, or anything else you can think of." The sisters, aside from Lori who had already spoken, all gave various responses that signified that their only brother got it right on the money.

"That's…" Bobby said, trailing off slightly, "…That's really awesome. I mean, seriously. You guys have no idea how much it means to us."

"Hey Lori," Luna said suddenly, "Didn't you mention something about your friend Allison and her siblings helping out with Bobby and his folks?"

"D'oh!" Lori exclaimed, giving herself a slight smack in the forehead, "I literally can't believe that slipped my mind!" Turning to face her Boo-Boo Bear, Lori said, "Bobby, my friend Allison and her siblings all are aware of what happened, and that they are willing to lend a hand in helping you and your family readjust to life here."

With a confused look on his face, Bobby said, "Allison? Who's that, babe?" In response, Lori whipped out her smartphone, opened a file on the phone, and scrolled through a few pictures until she found a picture that showed Lori standing with Carol Pingrey on her left and Allison Ace on her right. "I had my friend Trixie take this picture," Lori said to Bobby. Pointing to Allison in the photo, Lori continued, "Anyway Boo-Boo Bear, that's Allison."

"Dude!" Bobby exclaimed, "I saw her! She was at my Grandpa Hector's store the day the riots started!"

"What?!" the Loud siblings all exclaimed in unison.

Nodding once to show that he was serious, Bobby explained, "She was in the store when two of the rioters came in. When they started getting violent with me and Grandpa Hector, Allison took out a golf club that was in the case over her back and went all Thor Odinson on the rioters." With another nod, Bobby said while pointing to Allison in the photo, "Yeah, it was thanks to her that Grandpa Hector and I were able to get to safety."

"You think that's weird?" Ronnie Anne said, getting the Loud siblings' attention, "I was with me and Bobby's cousin Carlota when the rioting started, and we were cornered by two of the rioters in an alleyway, but we were saved by this samurai-looking guy who had a sleeveless long coat the same color as Leni's dress. He used some Japanese wooden sword of some kind."

"That sounds like Aggro-sensei," Lincoln remarked. Taking out his phone, Lincoln opened up a photo folder and flipped through a few options before he found one that caught his eye. Selecting the photo and turning his phone to show the photo to Ronnie Anne, the sole loud boy asked, "Is this the guy who saved you and your cousin?"

Taking a look at the photo on Lincoln's phone, Ronnie Anne said, "…Actually, yeah, that's-"

"Dude!" Bobby exclaimed as he saw the photo on Lincoln's phone, "I didn't know that the Aces were in Great Lakes City!"

"Wait a minute, Boo-Boo Bear," Lori began, sounding mildly confused, "You know them?"

"How could you forget, babe?" Bobby replied, "They moved out of Royal Woods a little bit over five years ago when their dad was killed in an accident. From what I heard while my family and I still lived in Great Lakes City, the Aces moved back to Royal Woods a couple months ago when finances became looser for them." Gesturing to Lori, Bobby continued, "You were pretty upset when the Aces moved, given that Allison was basically your only friend at that point."

"…D'oh!" Lori exclaimed, smacking herself in the forehead as if she just remembered something she couldn't believe she forgot, "I literally can't believe I forgot about that! I'm surprised that Allison never tried to remind me!"

"Maybe she, like, forgot as well," Leni pointed out, trying to be as helpful as possible.

Gently shaking her head, Lori said, "We can try to figure all of that out later. For now, we've got something more important to plan." Standing up, as if for dramatic effect, the oldest Loud sibling declared, "We've literally got to plan a welcome back party for Bobby and his family!"

"Oh! Oh!" Luan said as she raised a hand, "I've got a lot of good ideas that can-"

"No, you don't," Lola said in a dry deadpan, interrupting her comedic older sister in the process.

* * *

The party thrown by the Loud siblings two days after Bobby and his folks moved to Royal Woods to welcome them back to/welcome the Casagrandes to Royal Woods went off more or less without a hitch. The Casagrandes actually couldn't make it due to varying reasons, mostly related to the emotional stress of what they've been through, but they all appreciated what their new friends and neighbors were trying to do for them. After the party cleanup was taken care of, the Loud siblings filed into their house, with Bobby and Ronnie Anne following them.

"Hey Lincoln," Ronnie Anne began, getting the white-haired boy's attention, "That one friend of yours is an idiot."

"Which one?" Lincoln asked.

"I don't remember his name since it's been a while," Ronnie Anne replied, "But he's the one who spectacularly failed at copying the dance that Astrid's older brother did."

Remembering what the Hispanic tomboy was talking about, Lincoln said, "Oh, you mean Rusty?" With a shrug, Lincoln remarked, "I wouldn't exactly call him an idiot-"

"Rocky and I call Rusty an idiot all the time," Lucy interjected.

"Whatever," Lincoln said to his gothic younger sister. Turning back to face Ronnie Anne, Lincoln continued, "Like I was trying to say, I wouldn't call Rusty and idiot, but I will admit that him trying to copy Aggro-sensei's dance like that was a bit on the reckless side."

Pointing to Lincoln, Ronnie Anne said, "That reminds me. Every time you talk about Astrid's older brother, you refer to him as sensei." With a confused shrug, the Hispanic tomboy asked, "What gives?"

"Oh, Aggro has been tutoring Lincoln in Kendo," Lori explained. With a bit of a troubled look, the oldest Loud sibling continued, "Although Aggro and Lincoln haven't met up for a Kendo lesson since the attack at the elementary school."

"Oh yeah, you told me and Nie-Nie about that after some guys that were connected to the attack were arrested," Bobby said to his girlfriend, getting her to turn to face him. Gesturing to Lincoln, Bobby said while still facing Lori, "I'm glad that the bro made it."

With a sigh that carried the barest hint of being troubled, Lori said, "Yeah, we're literally lucky that Lincoln made it. But he didn't make it unscathed." The other Loud sisters similarly looked troubled, just like the oldest of their number. The sole Loud boy likewise looked troubled, especially since the topic of the conversation was bringing up memories of a rather troubling time in the white-haired boy's life.

Giving Lincoln a quick look, Ronnie Anne said after seeing a slight scar on Lincoln, "…Oh, I see it. Yeah, Lincoln's lucky that he escaped with only that scar."

"Umm, Ronnie Anne," Lynn began, "He's got more than just that one scar. Like, a lot more. Trust me, I was the first to find out."

"What…" Bobby began, speaking to the loud siblings as a whole, "…What exactly happened to the bro?"

…

The Loud siblings decided that, in order to properly explain things to the Santiago siblings, they should have Lincoln show Bobby and Ronnie Anne the damage that his leg had. Both Bobby and Ronnie Anne were noticeably shaken by the brutal bruising, various scars and other such damage on the sole Loud boy's leg; after she and her brother were informed that such injuries covered most of Lincoln's bad leg, Ronnie Anne had to run up to the bathroom quickly, and the sounds of vomiting could be heard from the second floor a few seconds after the Hispanic tomboy ran up the stairs. All Lincoln did was pull the pants leg up to his knee and pull the sock he wore on that foot down to his ankle.

"Geez, bro," Bobby said to Lincoln a few seconds after Ronnie Anne returned from her quick trip to the bathroom, "Now I see why you were so hesitant when your sisters suggested that you showed me and Nie-Nie what happened."

"I know," Lincoln remarked as he pulled his sock back up and let his pants leg back down, "To be completely honest, I'm surprised that I still have this leg." Nodding once, Lincoln said, "It's still something that I'm kind of hesitant to bring up. I mean, I'm afraid that people would react weird if they saw how my leg is doing." Gesturing to Ronnie Anne, the sole Loud boy continued, "You saw how she reacted."

"Lincoln, what happened to you is literally not your fault," Lori said in a gentle, sympathetic and reassuring tone, "And we're still here for you if you need it."

"Thanks, Lori," Lincoln replied, his tone sounding appreciative. Gesturing to Bobby and Ronnie Anne, Lincoln continued, "But we've still got to help them settle back into Royal Woods, as well as helping them to adjust to so many drastic changes in their lives."

"Lincoln," Bobby said as he wiped a tear away with his right index finger, "Bro, dude. You're too good to us."

Taking a breath to steady herself, Ronnie Anne remarked, "He's right, Lincoln. Given what happened to you, I'm surprised that you aren't focusing more-" Ronnie Anne was cut off when she and everyone else heard barking coming from in front of the Loud residence. From the sounds of it, it was coming from two very large dogs, one of which apparently sounded very familiar to Lori.

"It sounds like Allison's come back," Lori remarked, "Which is understandable, as she left her bag here. Although I don't know why she brought her dog with her."

"Maybe she wanted to squeeze in taking her dog for a walk?" Lana guessed as Lori ran out the front door to see what was going on, with Bobby following her.

When the two seventeen-year-olds got outside, they spotted Allison Ace, holding onto the leash of a Tibetan Mastiff, trying to keep her dog from getting into a scuffle with a regular Mastiff that was being walked by Carlota Casagrande, one of Bobby's cousins. The two large dogs, having seen each other, decided to get into a barking contest which, from the sounds and looks of it, would become more than just barking if the two dogs got close enough.

"Heel, Fenrir!" Allison shouted as she pulled on her dog's leash, "Tis no time for honorable battle against someone!"

"Lalo, calm down right now!" Carlota exclaimed as she pulled on the Mastiff's leash with both hands; Allison, who was only using one hand to pull on Fenrir's leash, was having a far easier time trying to control her large dog than Carlota was at trying to control her dog. Thankfully for Carlota, Bobby came running up to help her pull Lalo back; eventually, the dogs were pulled far enough apart so that they stopped trying to go for each other.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Bobby asked, "Okay, what's going on here?"

"I came by to pick up my bag from Lori's place, as I noticed upon returning home earlier that I forgot it here," Allison explained. Gesturing to her dog, the female Ace twin added, "I figured that since it was getting close to time to walk Fenrir, I'd bring him along. Fell two foes with one javelin, as it were."

Turning to face his cousin, Bobby asked, "And you, Carlota?"

"I was taking Lalo for a walk because Aunt Maria and Grandma Rosa both remarked that he was acting a bit restless," Carlota explained, "Since I knew you and Ronnie Anne were still here when I left to take Lalo for a walk, I figured that I'd bring Lalo by."

"It appears that we both have poor timing, not to mention bad luck in the sense that our dogs aren't getting along right now," Allison remarked to the seventeen-year-old Hispanic girl, "I believe that we ought to take our respective dogs home, although I still need to pick up my bag before I go."

Carlota nodded in agreement before she turned around and took Lalo back to the new Santiago-Casagrande residence, leaving the rest of the people there be. Turning to face the Louds, Allison said, "My apologies for dropping in unannounced like this, and so soon after I had left the party. But I do need to get my bag back."

Gently shaking her head in a manner to show it's no big deal, Lori said, "Don't worry, Allison. I have your bag in me and Leni's room."

Allison nodded in acknowledgement as she proceeded to follow Lori into the Loud residence, bringing Fenrir with her. After Allison and her dog had disappeared into the house, the other Loud siblings all turned to face Ronnie Anne and Bobby.

"Wow, you two," Lana said, "I never imagined that you guys would have such a large dog."

"Ehh, Lalo's more of our extended family's dog than he is me and Bobby's," Ronnie Anne replied. With a mildly bemused look on her face, the Hispanic tomboy added, "Doesn't stop him from trying to climb onto my bed while I'm trying to relax so he could try to cuddle with me."

"Aww," Leni remarked, "That sounds, like, totes cute!"

Turning to face the fashionable Loud sibling, Ronnie Anne said with a dry, unamused look, "You try saying that when a massive dog that outweighs you tries crawling into your bed while you're on it because he wants cuddles."

Nodding once in understanding, Lincoln said, "Aggro-sensei did say a few times how his sister's dog presents trouble like that to his other siblings."

* * *

Later, Lori was meeting with Bobby, Carlota, Allison and Aggro; the other late teens-people decided upon Burpin' Burger as their meet-up point, as going to the place that Lori's dad owns or the place that is owned by the Ace family wouldn't be neutral ground. As another point, Bobby said that it's been ages since he's had anything from the Burpin' Burger menu, and he's been dying to sink his teeth into one of their famous burgers.

"So babe," Bobby began after he took a sip from his soda, "What was it that you wanted to talk to all of us about?"

"Your champion raises an excellent point, Lori," Allison remarked, "I'm kind of wanting to know what you've got planned that requires all of us to meet up like this.

Clearing her throat first, Lori said, "I think that all of us ought to think of how to manage things when it comes to how we help each other out over the next couple of months." Gesturing to Bobby and Carlota, Lori explained to the group as a whole, "Bobby and his family, including their extended relatives, had just returned to Royal Woods after having put up with way too much crap back in Great Lakes City." With a look of worried concern on her face, the oldest Loud sibling continued, "There's also the fact that my sisters and I are still trying to help Lincoln get used to life after what he suffered during the attack back on the elementary school a couple of months back. He's woken up from nightmares once every few weeks ever since the attack."

"That's…a rather troubling thing to learn about Lincoln-kun," Aggro remarked, a clear look of concern on his normally stoic face.

"Can you clarify what you mean about 'managing things'?" Carlota asked, giving Lori a look that was asking for some clarification.

"One thing that we all have in common is that we literally all belong to large families," Lori began to explain, "With the seventeen and under count for all three going from a minimum of five to a maximum of eleven. That being said, we have a lot of people to coordinate when it comes to helping each other out. Hence why I suggested that we figure out a game plan when it comes to managing how things are done."

The other four late teens-people all nodded in agreement, believing that Lori raised an excellent point. "It's a good thing that we have someone here who knows what she's talking about," Allison remarked as she turned to regard Lori, "I don't think that I'd have been as effective at this job that you had taken up for yourself."

"So Babe," Bobby began, "What's the first thing you got lined up?"

Lori had a mildly amused look on her face in response to what her Boo-Boo Bear asked. "Funny you should say that, Bobby," Lori replied.

* * *

"…I wasn't aware that your family had more than three pets," Lincoln remarked to Astrid Ace as she had Lincoln and Ronnie Anne over; the three eleven-year-olds were looking at a pet rat that was in a cage that was made to keep small animals such as rats in. The rat was white and had black eyes.

Gently shaking her head, Astrid explained, "Alphonse and I didn't go to Great Lakes City with the rest of our family, as I was sick and Alphonse was needed by our grandfather to help with something. As such, our grandfather kept an eye on us while the rest of the family left, but keeping up with Fenrir, Kyubi and Spirit was a bit too much, thus we had to ask your family to pet-sit them for us."

Pointing to the rat in the cage, Ronnie Anne asked, "So whose rat is this?"

"Oh, Nezumi is mine," Astrid replied as she gestured to her rat, "I've had him since sometime shortly before the attack on the school."

A confused look on her face, Ronnie Anne said, "Neh-zoo-me?"

"Nezumi," Astrid replied, giving the correct pronunciation of her pet rat's name, "It's basically the Japanese word for rat."

"What other pets do you guys have?" Lincoln asked.

With a look of mild consideration, Astrid said as she listed off things on her fingertips, "Anna has a bunny, Argent has a snake, Andy keeps an albino squirrel he found abandoned as a baby and nursed back to health, and Alphonse has a crow." Seeing the confused looks on the faces of her friends, Astrid said, "Relax. Andy and Alphonse both have the special permits needed to legally keep their respective animals."

"You guys…" Ronnie Anne began, "…I think that you guys have actually managed to beat out Lincoln's little sister Lana when it comes to the mix of animals that you guys care for."

With a gentle shake of his head, Lincoln remarked, "No, Lana's still got them beat." With a look of consideration, the sole Loud boy added, "Although I will say that I don't recall ever seeing Lana handle a crow before."

"You don't say, Lincoln," Ronnie Anne said as she turned to face the sole Loud boy. As she watched the banter between Lincoln and Ronnie Anne, Astrid could not help but giggle a bit in an amused manner. The white-haired Ace girl had a very strong suspicion that the other two eleven-year-olds would end up in a manner very similar to their respective seventeen-year-old siblings, albeit without (too much of) the mushy-lovey talk.

* * *

After a fun-filled time with Astrid over at the Ace residence, Lincoln and Ronnie Anne took their leave, as they had to return to the Loud residence, Lincoln for dinner and Ronnie Anne because it's where she was expecting her older brother to pick her up from. Lincoln was even carrying a crow feather, given to him by Astrid's older brother Alphonse, who said that it was laying on the floor of his crow's cage.

"Wait a minute," Ronnie Anne said as she and Lincoln walked and talked, "I know that crows are often associated with the horror genre and various other spooky things, but how come Alphonse not only knew about Lucy's interest in all of that stuff, but also thought that she'd appreciate a crow feather?"

"Lucy is friends with Argent," Lincoln pointed out, "So he must have mentioned it."

The Hispanic tomboy considered her companion's response, mulled over his words for a few moments. Realizing the validity they carried, Ronnie Anne said, "You got me there, Lincoln."

The two eleven-year-olds eventually made it to the front of the Loud family residence. As they walked up the steps to the front patio, Ronnie Anne noticed, to some concern, that Lincoln winced ever so slightly, and was favoring his left leg. Ronnie Anne knew very much why the white-haired boy was in apparent pain, and it tore at her on the inside. After both of them got up onto the patio and made their way to the front door, Ronnie Anne asked, "Hey Lincoln, are you going to be okay?"

"Hmm?" Lincoln said, a bit confused as to why Ronnie Anne would ask that. Upon giving her words, as well as the tone that came with them, some more thought, Lincoln said, "Oh, yeah, I'll be fine, Ronnie Anne. There's no need to be worried-"

"I'm calling shenanigans on that," Ronnie Anne interrupted, cutting the sole loud boy off midsentence, "I have every reason to be worried." With an expression of concern, mixed with a bit of heartbreak, on her face, the Hispanic tomboy continued, "I already lost two members of my family, with a third missing and unaccounted for." Ronnie Anne turned her head to regard Lincoln, and it was then that he saw how much weight this carried for her.

"I…" Ronnie Anne continued, tears starting to well up in the corners of her eyes, "…When I heard about the attack while I was still living in Great Lakes City, I was worried that something serious happened to someone that I cared about. Then when Bobby and I saw the extent of the damage that you suffered, I…I…" Shuddering a bit as she struggled to hold it in, Ronnie Anne finished by saying, "…I just don't want to lose anyone else. You especially, Lincoln."

The white-haired boy did not know what to say, did not know how to react. …Well, he had a pretty good idea on how his _sisters_ would have reacted if any of them had been present to see Ronnie Anne's display just now, and he was glad that none of them had seen it (knowing the Loud girls, any reaction from them to Ronnie Anne's display just now would have happened instantly). Still, this level of caring from Ronnie Anne took Lincoln by surprise. He knew that she cared about him, but to such a level? Lincoln could not help but be touched. He also gave a passing thought to wonder if this is how Lori feels whenever Bobby goes to great lengths due to how much he cares for her.

Turning so that he properly faced Ronnie Anne, Lincoln began, "Ronnie Anne, I-"

"AWW!" all ten of Lincoln's sisters cooed simultaneously, cutting Lincoln off in the process as they suddenly appeared to gush over Lincoln's moment with Ronnie Anne, not only startling the two eleven-year-olds, but drawing some angry, embarrassed looks from the two of them (Lincoln was more embarrassed and Ronnie Anne was more angry, but both of the eleven-year-olds had both anger and embarrassment).

"Really, you guys?!" Lincoln exclaimed.

* * *

Later that evening, and after Ronnie Anne had left with Bobby, Lincoln was in his bedroom, having changed into a baggy orange t-shirt and an orange pair of sweatpants. The sole Loud boy still had his socks on. He looked at the time, saw it was hovering around nine at night, then turned to face the viewers.

"Well the Santiagos are back in Royal Woods," Lincoln said as he monologued to the viewers, "Although not in a way that I or anyone else would have ever wished for. Which is all the more reason to do what I can to help Ronnie Anne and her folks out if and when they need it." Lincoln turned off the light in his room, then crawled into bed.

Yawning a bit, Lincoln said, "Now then, if you'll excuse me, it's a bit late, and I'd like to get some shuteye now. Later." The sole Loud boy laid in bed, turned so that his back was to the viewers, then promptly went to sleep.

END

Author's notes:

And there you have it, the Santiagos are back in the main setting as common recurring characters. This actually happened a few one-shots earlier than I had originally hoped, but hey, things happen. Now sorry if this comes as a bit of a shock, especially so soon after I had just gotten back into the swing of things with this series, but I'll be taking a bit of a break from the one-shot collection to work on something that's set in the same setting as the one-shot collection, as well as a few other Loud House stories I've got, one of which not only is set right after this one-shot but is also a sequel of sorts to 'Ten reasons'.

...This time, there is only one.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I do not own 'The Loud House' or any other property in this work that I did not make myself.

A collection of Loud House one-shots

Guten Tag, cousins! (Plot: When some of the Loud siblings visit their friends, the Aces, on one well enough morning, they see to their surprise that the Ace household got just a little bit bigger with some relatives from the late Shigure's side of the family.)

Lincoln, a twelve-year-old boy living in Royal Woods, Michigan, was accompanying his older sisters Lori, Leni and Luna over to the residence of their friends, the Ace siblings. A lot had occurred in recent events for the Louds, such as Lori finally achieving her long held dream of winning homecoming queen, the Louds attending a wedding out in California for one of the roommates of Luna's Californian friend, meeting up with Luna's old music tutor upon returning to Royal Woods from said wedding, and Luna's tutor and his group stopping the vile plottings of the (now) late Lord Tetherby.

There was something else that occurred for the sole Loud boy, something that put a spring in his step both figuratively _and_ literally; the adult niece of Luna's aforementioned tutor was not only able to mend Lincoln's injured left leg, but did so to the point that it's like the white-haired boy was never injured in that attack on RWES all those months ago in the first place. Luna says that the folks out where Harold-sensei lives are rather amazing like that. Now free from the burden of having to live with a bum leg, Lincoln was free to get back out and move about, just as boys his age should be doing.

One of the first things Lincoln wanted to do was get back into his Kendo lessons that he had been receiving from Aggro, the oldest male sibling of the Ace siblings. His training in Kendo had netted Lincoln at least two trophies to put in the family trophy case before the attack on RWES, and it got him out and exercising, something that Loud family matriarch Rita had been wanting for some time. Some of the Loud sisters, as well as Loud family patriarch Lynn Sr., still don't know why Rita thought throwing Lincoln into a peewee football team was the way to go if all she wanted was for Lincoln to exercise.

…But I digress. With his bokken carrying case holding his bokken slung over his back, Lincoln followed his three oldest sisters right up to the Ace family's front door. "What did Amy call you to talk about again, Luna?" Lori asked a bit dryly.

Giving the oldest Loud sibling a dry look, Luna replied, "I'm surprised that Allison didn't update you on what her family is doing now." Turning to Leni, Luna asked, "I don't suppose that Aggro told you anything, did he?"

"I tried calling him, but his phone kept going to voicemail," the fashionably inclined Loud sister replied, "My guess is that he's just really busy."

"Well whatever's going on," Lori began as she reached over to the Ace's front door to knock on it, "I'm certain that Allison and her siblings will be able to-"

Lori was cut off mid-sentence and right before she could knock on the front door even once when the door opened from inside. To the surprise of the three oldest Loud girls and Lincoln, the person who answered the door was a teenage girl about Leni's height. This girl had strong yellow-blonde hair about as long as Leni's platinum blonde, and the girl wore a pink t-shirt, a pair of jeans, and a pair of pink tennis shoes.

The mystery girl also wore a hairclip on the side of her head that had a small tiara-shaped design on it, and she was notably well-fed; she was not yet obese, but her notable plumpness made her pink t-shirt fit a bit snugly. As she looked at Lori, Leni, Luna and Lincoln, the mystery girl said with a strong hint of German accent in her tone, "Ah, you must be friends of my cousins that me, Arthur and Allister were told about."

Giving the chubby mystery girl a curious look, Lori said, "And, you are…"

"Oh, right, I've yet to properly introduce myself to you," the mystery girl said. Giving a single nod in a gesture of greeting, the mystery girl said, "My name is Anastasia, but I'm usually called Annie for short."

"Are you…familiar with Allison and her siblings in some way?" Lori asked.

"Ja," Annie replied with a nod in the affirmative, "I, as well as my younger brothers Arthur and Allister, are their cousins."

The three oldest Loud girls and Lincoln all went wide-eyed a bit with piqued interest. "Ja," the plump Ace cousin began to explain, "The father of me and my brothers was the younger brother of our late Uncle Shigure, who is the father of Allison and the others."

Gesturing to Annie, Luna said, "So I take it that you and your bros are at least half-Japanese."

Nodding in the affirmative once more, Annie said, "Ja. We're half-Japanese and half-German, with the German half coming from our mother." With a bit of a chuckle, Annie remarked, "But it's a bit obvious that my brothers and I all took after our mother a lot more." Gesturing to the Louds that came over, Annie said, "So then, I assume that you all are here to see Allison or any of the others?" The Louds nodded in the affirmative, and after that Annie gestured for them to come inside.

* * *

A few moments later, Lori, Leni, Luna and Lincoln were seated at the Ace family dining table, across from Allison, Aggro and Amy. Annie stood off to the side, leaning against the one wall in the kitchen. "So this is what you wanted to talk to us about, Allison," Lori remarked, "You and your family are hosting your cousins for…" Giving the female Ace twin a curious look, Lori asked, "…How long, again?"

With a resigned sigh, Allison explained, "Permenently. Our Uncle Ayame and Aunt Emily, sadly, both died in a house fire over where they lived with our cousins over in Rhode Island. Anastasia, Arthur and Allister all survived because none of them were home at the time."

"My brothers and I…" Annie said over where she stood leaning against the wall, "…Are getting along as well as we can, trying to be as grateful as we can for what good strokes of luck we've had since our house burned down."

"Such as…" Lori began as she and her siblings all turned to face the plump Ace cousin.

Getting the attention of the Louds, Amy said, "Well for starters, Watson, Webster and Wally all survived the fire, Watson and Webster because they were both outside in the backyard at the time and Wally because Arthur took him with him to school that day."

Giving the fifteen-year-old Ace sibling a curious look, Luna asked, "Who are those guys?"

Listing things off of her fingers, Amy began to explain, "Watson is Annie's pet pig, Webster is Allister's pet duck, and Wally is Arthur's pet bearded lizard."

"So you guys got more animals as well," Lori said as she leaned back in her seat slightly, crossing her arms over her chest. Giving an indifferent shrug, the oldest Loud sibling remarked, "Even with three more, you guys still don't have as many as Lana."

"I believe that you're missing the point," Aggro remarked, getting the Louds to look at him, "The point here is that our cousins, due to tragic circumstance, lost their parents and are now having to move in with us, as our mom is the first and most direct available adult relative able to receive them." Giving the Louds a serious look, the male Ace twin said, "Things will be busy for us here over the next few days while we get things set up to properly welcome Annie, Arthur and Allister here. There's still some unpacking to be done, as well as having to rearrange who shares which bedrooms."

"Well if you and your family, like, need any help," Leni began, "You can count on us!"

Aggro cracked a bit of a mildly amused, thankful smile at his girlfriend's words of reassurance. "It is a comforting thought to have that there are those who would help my family in such times, Leni-chan," Aggro remarked, "And if you and the rest of your siblings are willing to help, then I don't see why my family and I should refuse."

The rest of the Loud siblings that were there all agreed that they would do their part to help the Ace siblings get their cousins situated into the Ace family residence. Lori also made a comment on how she believes that Lana would be particularly excited to see the new animals that Annie, Arthur and Allister had brought with them from Rhode Island. It was agreed that the rest of the Loud siblings would come by later, to help with various things.

* * *

When later came, it saw all eleven Loud siblings over at the Ace residence. There, they all met Annie, as well as her brothers Arthur and Allister; whereas the plump Ace cousin was sixteen, the two Ace cousin boys were twin thirteen-year-olds that looked relatively alike, save for a few minor changed here and there. Arthur had shoulder-length blonde hair, in the same shade as his older sister's hair, with the bangs covering his left eye. Arthur wore a light blue baggy t-shirt, a pair of brown-colored boy's cargo shorts, white socks and light blue shoes. Allister looked the same as Arthur except Allister's bangs covered his right eye, his baggy t-shirt was lavender, his boy's cargo shorts were white, and he wore black shoes.

"So boys, I take it you'll be going to Royal Woods Middle School?" Lynn asked the Ace cousin twins, "Because the football team over there can always use a few more players. Hell, a lot of the sports teams can use some new hands."

"Meh, I don't like to play sports competitively," Arthur remarked with a shrug.

Giving Lynn a deadpan look, Allister said dryly, "I don't like to play sports period."

Giving the Ace cousin twins an unamused look, Lynn said as she crossed her arms over her chest, "Well you two aren't any fun."

"Anyway," Amy began as she clapped her hands together, "We'll be needing help setting up some beds in the bedrooms upstairs, as well as moving some stuff between rooms."

"I'm going to guess that since Allison and Annie are the two oldest girl siblings in the family now, you'll be moving out of Allison's room so Annie can move in?" Lori asked as she turned to face the fifteen-year-old Ace sibling.

Turning her attention to face Lori, Amy said, "Actually Lori, Allison currently shares her bedroom with Aggro."

Hearing that Allison shares a bedroom with Aggro instead of Amy or one of the other Ace sisters took the Loud sisters all by surprise; only Lincoln did not look surprised in the least. It was Lisa who first noticed the lack of surprise on the sole Loud boy's part. "You seem as if learning that Allison and Aggro share a bedroom does not come as a shock, Lincoln," the brainy Loud sister remarked, getting her older brother's attention. When Lisa made that statement, it got the rest of the Loud girls to all turn their focus to the sole boy among their number.

"Well that's because I knew that Aggro-sensei shared a bedroom with his sister," Lincoln replied, "He told me about it, and I've even been up there a few times."

"Girls," Aggro began as he addressed the Loud sisters, speaking in a tone that suggested he had trouble understanding what the problem at hand was, "Is there some sort of problem with Allison and I sharing a bedroom?"

"Who…" Lola began, a mildly unsettled look of curiosity on her face, "…Who else currently shares bedrooms right now?"

Listing things off of her fingers, Amy said, "As has already been established, Aggro and Allison share a bedroom. After that is me and Alphonse, followed by Astrid and Andy, then finally Argent and Anna." Giving the Loud sisters a curious look, Amy said, "Why do you ask? How do you all share bedrooms at your place?"

"It's me and Leni, Luna and Luan, Lynn and Lucy, Lola and Lana, Lisa and Lily, and Lincoln has a room to himself," Lori replied.

Allison, after she considered all that Lori had told her, asked, "Wouldn't it make more sense for your brother to share a room with the athlete, the goth to share a room with one of the twins, the remaining twin to share a room with the sorceress, and the baby gets a room to herself?"

"First off, don't go mistaking science for 'sorcery' as you call it," Lisa began to reply, knowing full well that she was the 'sorceress' that the female Ace twin was talking about, "And second, why do you recommend those arrangement?"

Gesturing to herself and her siblings, Allison said, "In our family, we share bedrooms based on age. The two oldest share a room, followed by the two oldest after the first pair, and so on and so forth until everyone is paired up."

"We do it based on gender over at our place," Lori said to her Viking-like friend, "So even though Lincoln is closer to Lynn than Lucy in terms of age, Lincoln gets a room to himself because he's a boy and the rest of us are all girls."

"That's…" Alphonse remarked, a mildly confused look on his face as he and his siblings and cousins considered the Louds, "…A rather bizarre way to do things."

Shrugging, Luan said, "It's not as bizarre as a brother sharing a bedroom with a sister." Giving the Aces a questioning look, the comedic Loud sister said, "Seriously! Boys should not share bedrooms with girls!"

"…You don't think that…" Aggro began as things began to dawn on him. Realizing what Luan was implying, the male Ace twin said, "Oh my god, Luan! Why the hell would you even think that?!" Gesturing to himself and his siblings, Aggro scolded, "We're family, not lovers! Get your mind out of the gutter, Luan!"

Turning to look at his sisters, Lincoln said as he addressed Luan specifically, "Yeah, that was kind of a jerk move, to be honest."

* * *

Sometime later, with the oldest of the Loud siblings and Lincoln pitching in to help the Ace siblings and cousins, all of the bedroom rearrangements had been made. "There we go," Amy said as she dusted off her hands, "Now everything's been set up to accommodate Annie, Arthur and Allister having moved in."

"So who's sharing a room with who now?" Lucy asked as she looked up at the fifteen-year-old Ace sister; Lucy, as well as twins, Lisa and Lily, were all kept occupied by the younger Ace siblings while all of the bedroom moving and rearrangements had been taken care of.

Gesturing up the stairs to the second floor (where all of the Ace sibling/cousin bedrooms are located), Amy explained, "We now have Allison bunking with Annie, myself bunking with Astrid, Aggro bunking with Alphonse, Arthur and Allister bunking together like they did back in Rhode Island, Andy bunking with Argent, and Anna gets a room to herself as she's the odd one out here."

Aggro turned his attention over to where Luan was standing, a dry and unamused look on his face. "…Well, Luan?" the male Ace twin said as he crossed his arms over his chest, his tone showing that he was in a sour mood still, "Does that suit your tastes better?" The other Ace siblings, as well as Annie and her younger brothers, all looked at the comedic Loud sister with unamused looks on their respective faces.

"I said I was sorry!" Luan replied, sounding a mix of mildly upset and guilty, "I wasn't meaning to offend you or the rest of your family!"

Waving a hand in a dismissive tone, Allison said with a huff in her tone, "Whatever. It would not do to dwell on offences of the past." To the Loud siblings as a whole, the female Ace twin said, "Anyway, now that Annie and her brothers are settled in, we can now properly throw the three of them a welcoming party."

"Oh yeah," Lori remarked as she gestured to Allison, "You said that you wanted to help your cousins feel more at home by throwing them a part-"

"A PIG!" Lana exclaimed excitedly, cutting her oldest sister off midsentence when she spotted a small piglet running into the living room, making a beeline right to Annie.

The piglet reached the plump Ace cousin and nudged against her right shin with its little piglet snout, making baby pig squealing noises as it did so. Smiling in mild amusement with a hint of being touched by adorable actions of someone, Annie bent over, scooped the piglet up, and held it in her arms. "Ja, Louds," Annie said as the piglet nuzzled against her, "This here is Watson. I've had him since a month before the fire that claimed the last home my brothers and I lived in."

"Watson…" Luna began as she and her siblings looked at the little pig, "…Is a baby pig?"

"He looks to be a baby miniature pig from what I can tell," Lisa stated as she gave Watson a quick casual glance.

Lori nodded a bit in understanding. "Yeah, I think that you guys mentioned that Annie was bringing a pig, and that her brothers were bringing a bearded lizard and a duck." Jerking a thumb at Lana who looked really excited, Lori said to the Ace cousins, "My sister Lana here has a thing for animals, so don't be surprised if she wants to see your pets that you guys brought with you."

Annie nodded to Lori before gently setting Watson down and encouraging him to go over to greet the Loud siblings. The miniature piglet looked at the ten girls and one boy, sniffing at the air a bit as he looked from Loud sibling to Loud sibling. To the surprise of Lincoln and his sisters, Watson went right up to, of all people, Lola, having made a beeline for her. Watson then began to nuzzle up to the pageant winning Loud twin, as a cat would rub the side of its body up against a person's legs.

Although Lola normally isn't one to like dealing with literal pigs, even she found the baby piglet to be adorable. She carefully reached down to Watson's head to gently scratch the top if his head, eliciting pleased sounds out of him. "Aww, he's kinda cute," Lola remarked as the miniature piglet enjoyed the attention that the pink-clad Loud sister was giving him.

"Fun fact about Watson," Anna said, "He's the only pet that we have here who hasn't reached adulthood yet. The rest of our pets are all at young adult ages, including Webster and Wally."

"Here, let me try petting him," Lana said as she walked over to where Lola was scratching Watson's head. However, when Lana got close enough, Watson squealed in a distressed tone as he turned around and scampered right back over to Annie. This display confused (as well as mildly upset) Lana, as well as (just) confuse the rest of the Loud siblings.

After she picked up and cradled her miniature piglet again, Annie remarked in a mildly curious tone, "Huh. Watson's never done that before." Turning her attention over to Lana, the plump Ace cousin remarked, "Watson's never shown such unwillingness to be near others. Unless of course they haven't bathed recently or otherwise smell bad."

Lori, as she crossed her arms over her chest, nodded in confirmation as she remarked, "Yeah, that description literally fits Lana to a 'T'. Cleanliness is generally not a word that can often be associated with Lana here."

The Ace siblings and cousins all regarded Lana with a mix of looks, some of which coming from the older members of the lot were of an accusatory manner that made it clear to Lana that they wanted her to take a bath at some point in the very immediate future. Scoffing as she gently shook her head, Allison remarked when she turned to face her cousins, "Tis not the first time that the sty girl here has offended Ace family animals with her smell. Hers is an odor that offends even Fenrir."

"There's been at least two occasions when Spirit would run away from Lana whenever she would come over here to play because she hadn't taken a bath in a while," Amy remarked in a mildly grim tone.

"Hey, isn't Spirit the name of your pet _skunk_ , cous?" Arthur asked when he turned to look up at the fifteen-year-old Ace sibling, getting a nod in the affirmative in response.

Letting out a resigned sigh, Lana said, "Fine, I get it. I'll take a bath when I get home."

* * *

Sometime later in the afternoon over at the Loud residence, the front door opened, with Rita and Lynn Sr. walking into the house. When they walked in, they were both met up by all eleven of their children, who had since come back from their time over at the Ace residence. "Hey mom and dad, you won't believe what happened!" Lynn said.

"Oh, what happened?" Rita replied. The Loud siblings then took turns telling their parents about all that had taken place; from meeting the three Ace cousins, to learning that said cousins are now living at the Ace residence since their old house and their parents perished in a fire, to getting to see the Ace cousins' pets that they brought with them, and finally joining the Aces in a little party that they threw, where Lynn was called out for attempting to feed a bit of sausage topping from a pizza slice she had to Annie's miniature piglet.

After the Loud parents heard all that their children had to say, they both looked rather surprised. "Oh, my goodness," Rita said, "I can't believe that those kids lost their home and their parents in a fire. They must be braver than we can guess if they're putting up such a front."

"And good on both Ashe and her children for welcoming their relatives as openly as they have," Lynn Sr. remarked in an impressed tone, "I always had a feeling that the Aces were good people. It's part of why I have no issue with letting Ashe's oldest son date Leni."

"Dad!" Leni moaned in a clearly embarrassed tone.

Clapping her hands together, Rita said, "Well obviously, we need to properly welcome Ashe's niece and two nephews here in Royal Woods. And there's no better wat to welcome new residents than by baking them something and sending it over to them in a basket." Pointing to Lynn Sr., the Loud matriarch said, "Lynn, go see if there's enough flour to bake a batch of muffins that I'll send over to the Aces."

"Got it, dear," Lynn Sr. replied right before he turned to head straight into the kitchen.

Turning back around to face her children, Rita continued, "Meanwhile, you kids ought to do what you all said you'd do to help that Annie girl and her brothers better adjust to life here." Giving her tomboyish six-year-old a knowing look, Rita added, "And that includes you going upstairs to take a bath, Lana."

Sighing in an annoyed tone, Lana replied, "Yes, mom." The tomboyish Loud twin walked up the stairs, muttering, "Dang it," to herself as she made her way up to the second floor. After Lana had disappeared from sight, Rita turned back around to face the rest of her children.

"You kids are really being very nice and considerate of Annie and her brothers," the Loud matriarch remarked, her tone sounding with a bit of pride, "Good job."

"Well what can we say?" Lincoln replied with a shrug, "They're joining the Aces, who are already friends with us." With a single nod, the sole Loud boy continued, "It only makes sense that we'd roll the red carpet out for them."

END

Arthur's notes:

Sorry if introducing Annie and her brothers at this point is a bit late, but I actually have been meaning to work them in at some point anyway. I have no idea yet if Ashe will straight up adopt Annie, Arthur and Allister like she did with Amy and Alphonse, but even if that was going to happen, it's still a long ways off. Anyway, there will be two more additions to the one-shot collection here before I do another multi-chapter Loud House story set in the same setting as the one-shot collection.

…And a number of my other fics, but that's another subject for another time. Anyway, in case you haven't noticed, the one-shot collection, as well as my various Loud House fics that are all connected to it, is actually part of a much larger narrative that is still in the process of building itself up. It'll take a while for the ball to get rolling, but when it does, well…let's just say that things will get rather wild.


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I do not own 'The Loud House' or any other property in this work that I did not make myself.

A collection of Loud House one-shots

Rocky for President (Plot: Royal Woods Elementary School has an election for the next student body president. Rusty Spokes decides to anonymously nominate his little brother Rocky as a joke, but when Rocky's nomination is taken seriously, as well as when a certain fifth grader announces that he will be running as well, the older Spokes boy decides to help his brother with the mess that he got him into as (what started as) a joke.)

It was a peaceful enough day one morning over at Royal Woods Elementary School. It was currently lunch period, and students from various grades were all eating together over in the cafeteria. Over at one of the tables in the cafeteria, two girls in the school's kindergarten grade, Lisa Loud and Darcy Helmandollar, could be seen talking to each other as they ate lunch.

"So that's when my cousin's dog crawled under my bed to attack what I thought was a monster that was hiding under my bed," Darcy said to Lisa as the two friends were having a conversation, "As it turned out, it was just a really weird looking sweater my grandma bought for my dad, but by dad wanted to get rid of it for some reason."

"If your father is interested in a sweater that does not look quote unquote 'weird'," the brainy Loud sister began to reply in a casual, conversational tone, "Then might I suggest putting him in contact with my older sister Leni? She has the most remarkable talent for designing and making clothes, so I'm certain that a sweater-"

The little genius was rudely interrupted when two boys in the fifth grade, Liam and Zach, burst through the double doors that led into the cafeteria, as if they were trying to escape a fire or some other similar hazard.

Seeing the two fifth-grade boys burst into the cafeteria in such a fashion were Lincoln, Clyde and Rusty, all three of which were friends with Liam and Zach. As the three boys, sitting at one of the other tables in the cafeteria, saw Liam and Zach burst into the cafeteria like as if all of their rear ends had all caught on fire, Clyde got up and walked over to see what was going on with the two red-headed boys.

"Hey Liam, Zach," Clyde began, curiosity in his tone, "What's going on?"

"This is going on," Liam replied as he handed a flyer over to the African American boy. Receiving the flyer from Liam and reading it, Clyde's eyes widened with surprise.

"Hey, the student body presidential election is coming up!" Clyde remarked, just loud enough for everyone within a dozen feet to hear him. That was all that was needed, though, because as soon as those words escaped Clyde's lips, word began to spread through the cafeteria like a wildfire.

"Wow, student body president," one fourth grade girl remarked, "Imagine it. One student representing every other student in the entire school! Do you know how cool that would be?"

"Maybe I should run myself," a fourth-grade boy said, "I'd make one heck of a president!"

Over where she sat with Lisa, Darcy turned to her brainy friend and said, "Hey Lisa, you're really super smart. I bet that you'd make a great student body president."

The brainy Loud sister merely chuckled in an amused, but flattered, tone. "Thank you for the flattery Darcy, but being student body president just isn't my cup of tea," Lisa replied, "Besides, I highly doubt that any of the older students here at the school would actually be willing to vote for a Kindergartener that was running for student body president." Lisa picked up a box of animal crackers and held it over to Darcy to offer her some. Smiling, Darcy happily took a few animal crackers.

Over at the table that Lincoln and his friends were sitting at, Liam, Zach and Clyde all walked over to sit down. "Hey, one of us should run for student body president," Zach remarked to the group as a whole, "We all know a lot of the things that needs to be taken care of around here. If one of us was student body president, the other students would listen to us, so that we can finally get those things done!"

"There's a problem with that idea," Rusty remarked, "Admittedly, we aren't the most popular kids here at school. If any of us do run, we'll lose to whatever popular kid decides to run."

With a mildly dejected looking expression on his face, Liam pointed out to Zach after giving a resigned sounding sigh, "Rusty…does have a point, Zach, sadly enough."

"Come on, guys," Lincoln began, "Sure there is something that we-"

"Hey Lincoln," a younger female voice called out from behind Lincoln and his friends, prompting them to turn around to see who it was. As such, they saw Lincoln's younger sisters Lola and Lana standing there. It had been Lola who had called out.

Giving his pageant winning younger sister a curious look, the sole Loud boy replied, "What's going on, Lola?"

"I'm going to be running for student body president," Lola informed her older brother, "Can I count on you to vote for me?"

Giving the pageant princess Loud sibling a skeptical look, Clyde said, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on a minute there. _You_ ' _re_ running for student body president?"

"Well why not?" Lola replied. Giving her hair a slight bounce with her right hand, Lola said, "I mean, who wouldn't want to vote for someone as beautiful as me?"

"What about you?" Liam asked as he pointed to Lana.

Lana, as she gave an indifferent shrug, simply replied, "I was just going to stick around and observe. This looks like it's going to be fun to watch."

"No, you're going to be my vice-president," Lola informed her older twin sister.

"Girls, it's great that you're having an interest in working with our school," Lincoln began as he regarded his younger sisters, "But don't you think that-"

"Attention everyone!" a male voice called out. It was one that Lincoln and his friends were all familiar with. A lot of the students in the cafeteria looked to the source of the noise, seeing that it was Ross, a popular (but rather conceited) boy at RWES, that was trying to get everyone's attention; even Chandler, back when he still pissed on the shoes of Lincoln and Lincoln's pals, was not as obnoxious as the glasses-wearing blonde boy. "I am here to announce my candidacy for student body president!" Ross declared "That being said, here's hoping that I can count on all of your votes!"

Back over where Lincoln and his friends were talking to the Loud twins, Lincoln turned to regard Lola. "You can count on my vote, Lola," Lincoln said. Hearing her older brother say so willing to help support her made Lola smile.

* * *

"Man, can you believe it?!" Rusty said in a rather annoyed tone as he, Lincoln, Clyde, Liam and Zach walked through one of the hallways of RWES, "That jerk Ross is running for student body president! Like his ego isn't inflated enough!"

Nodding a few times in agreement, Zach remarked, "Yeah, I was sort of planning on voting for Lincoln's little sister."

"Well of course you'd vote for Lincoln's little sister," Rusty replied, "She'd make a better student body president than Ross. _Any_ of Lincoln's little sisters would make a better student body president than Ross!"

"When you say _any_ of Lincoln's little sisters," Liam began in a mildly confused tone, "Does that include Lincoln's baby sister Leni?"

Lincoln, with a dry look on his face, said to Liam, "Lily is my baby sister, Liam. Leni is one of my older sisters that goes to Royal Woods High."

"Yes, Liam," Rusty said as he turned to face his friend, "Both Lily and Leni would be better student body presidents than Ross. Heck, even my little brother Rocky would be a better student body president than Ross!"

"Rocky?" Liam continued in his mildly confused tone, "Doesn't Lincoln's little sister Luna have a crush on him?"

"Lucy," Lincoln corrected again, this time in something of an unamused monotone, "It's Lucy who has a crush on Rocky. Luna is another one of my older sisters who goes to Royal Woods High." The sole Loud boy was beginning to fear that this may be a recurring problem.

"Regardless of which one of Lincoln's sisters has a crush on Rocky," Rusty continued, "The point remains that Rocky would be a better student body president than Ross, who's basically a worse version of what Chandler used to be."

"Then why don't you nominate him?" Zach replied with a shrug.

The older Spokes brother turned to regard his friend, a mildly confused look on his face. "You really think I should nominate Rocky?" Rusty asked, sounding mildly unsure.

With another shrug, Zach replied, "It wouldn't hurt to try. Besides, some of the girls in the older grades may vote for Rocky because they'd think he's cuter than Ross. It helps that Rocky's a few years younger than that blonde jerk."

Looking at his friends, Rusty said after a few seconds, "Alright, I'll nominate Rocky. I'm going to do so anonymously, though." With a chuckle, Rusty added, "Besides, if anything, this could be worth a laugh."

"You know who's good at getting people to laugh?" Liam began, "Lincoln's comedian older sister who goes to the high school. You know, Lori?"

Lincoln merely sighed to himself as Liam got yet more of the Loud girls mixed up. " _At least he got the school right_ ," Lincoln thought.

* * *

The following morning over at RWES, everyone had just arrived at their classes, ready to begin the first lessons of the day. As everyone sat down in their desks, the intercom came on, and from that everyone could hear Principal Huggins's voice.

"Good morning, students and faculty of Royal Woods Elementary," Principal Huggins said over the intercom, "Here are the morning announcements. Firstly, there won't be any chocolate milk at lunch today due to a mix-up on the school's part that resulted in ordering strawberry milk instead. Secondly, in response to student protest concerning frog dissection in the science labs, there will be no more hands-on dissection in science. Instead, students will simply be made to watch an educational film on dissection."

In one of the first-grade classes, Lana stood up from her desk and cheered, "Woohoo!"

"Lastly," Principal Huggins's voice continued over the intercom, "We have the results for the nominations for student body president, and there are three candidates. Our first candidate is fifth-grader Ross." In one of the fifth-grade classes, Ross cheered as some of the students around him applauded him on successfully getting nominated. Lincoln and all of his friends, who were in the same fifth-grade class as the conceited blonde boy, only rolled their eyes.

"Our second candidate, this being a first-grader, is Lola Loud," Principal Huggins continued over the intercom. Over in the same first grade class as Lana, Lola stood up from her desk, pumped both fists into the air, and cheered excitedly.

"Our final candidate for student body president," Principal Huggins said as he wrapped up the morning announcements, "Is third grader Rocky Spokes. Congratulations all three of you, and may the best candidate win." Over in one of the third grade classes, the younger Spokes brother looked very much surprised.

After Principal Huggins finished the announcements, the intercom turned off. Over in Lincoln's fifth grade class, everyone started talking about the student body presidential elections, mainly the three students who successfully got nominated. "Well, well, well," Ross said as he and his two main friends (i.e. goons) all got up and walked over to where Lincoln and his friends were all sitting, "It looks like I'm going to be running against some of your siblings." In a knowing tone, the conceited blonde boy continued, "I can assume that you guys will be voting for your respective siblings?"

Giving the conceited blonde boy a cool yet neutral look, Lincoln retorted in a likewise tone, "Well what kind of an older brother would I be if I didn't vote for my little sister?"

"With all due respect, Ross," Chandler called out over from where he sat at his desk, getting the boys to all turn to see him, "Any of Lincoln's sisters, even the four-year-old one, Lynn, who's in the Kindergarten class here, would be better at the job than you."

"It's Lisa who's in Kindergarten," Lincoln clarified, "And thanks for the support." Chandler gave the sole Loud boy a knowing smirk and a thumbs up in response.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Ross replied in a neutral unamused tone, "Whatever." After the conceited blonde boy and his two goons all walked away to go back to their desks, Lincoln and his friends turned back to face each other.

"So, guys," Rusty began, "Who here's voting for either Rocky or Lincoln's little sister?"

* * *

The next day, Lincoln and his friends were walking through one of the hallways of RWES when they came across Lola and Lana; the pageant princess Loud sibling was putting up posters for her campaign in the student body presidential elections, and her tomboyish twin was helping. Walking up to Lana, Liam said, "Hey Lola, congratulations on getting nominated for the student body presidency!"

Lana gave Liam a confused look before saying, "I'm Lana."

"Yeah, Liam here has trouble telling Lincoln's sisters, and that includes the two of you, apart from each other, but that's beside the point," Zach said to the twins. To Lola specifically, Zach continued, "It's great that you're running, Lola. Here's hoping that you do well."

"Well of course I'm going to do well in the election," Lola retorted in a self-assured tone, "I mean, why wouldn't I? I'm easily the best-looking candidate, so the students here are bound to vote for me."

Gesturing to Lola, Clyde advised in a mild tone of warning, "Yeah, just be careful. I mean, you _are_ running against two older students, both of which are boys."

"You guys can all be Lola's secret service," Lana half-suggested half-offered, "That way, if either of the boys that Lola is running against tries something, you all can protect her."

"Well Ross may try to pull something," Rusty remarked, "I mean, I wouldn't put it past the jerk to try and pull a mean stunt on a six-year-old girl. But Rocky?" With a gentle shake of his head, Rusty continued, "No way. My little brother's a good kid. I have no doubt that he'll play this fair and square."

"Besides which," Liam continued, "If Rocky does win the election, that means that Lincoln's sister Luna will pretty much be his first lady. Rocky can't afford to upset her."

With another confused look on her face, Lana asked, "Don't you mean Lucy? Me and Lincoln's sister Luna goes to Royal Woods High."

" _I should probably make some flash cards to help Liam learn which of my sisters is which_ ," Lincoln thought as he gently face-palmed.

* * *

Over at the Spokes residence, Lincoln and his friends were helping with Rocky's campaign. "So, here's what I'm thinking," Rocky said as Clyde was helping him with a poster, "A lot of students in the lower grades feel as if the school as a whole is pretty much ignoring them, so one of the things I was going to say is that they'll have more of a voice representing them."

"What sort of complains do the kids in the lower grades have?" Zach asked.

"Well my friend Argent says that the boys' restrooms are hardly ever cleaned, and that he feels grossed out every time he has to use one of them," the younger Spokes brother began, "So the school should look into cleaning them up. Lucy also complains that there's hardly any focus on literary arts in our grade, so I was thinking bumping that area up a bit."

"Literary arts? What's that?" Liam asked.

"To put it in simple terms, it's reading books," Rusty replied. Turning to face his little brother, Rusty said, "I have to admit, Rocky, you're actually taking this pretty seriously. A lot more seriously than Ross, that's for sure."

"Ross is probably only running for student body president to boost his own ego," Zach scoffed.

"Totally," Liam said, "I'm hoping that either you or Lincoln's little sister Luan wins."

In a dry, exasperated tone, Lincoln sighed before saying, "It's Lola who's running."

"Right, her," Liam said as he pointed to Lincoln. Facing Rocky again, Liam continued, "If either you or Lincoln's sister who's running wins, then I'd be a happy camper." Offering Rusty's little brother a fist bump, Liam said, "Good luck, man."

Smiling, Rocky accepted the fist-bump as he said, "Thanks for the support. And yeah, I agree that that Ross jerk in your grade is a real jerk." In response to his younger brother's statement about Ross, Rusty and the other four fifth-grade boys all nodded in agreement.

* * *

A few days later, there was a big assembly in the school auditorium where Ross, Rocky and Lola all had a debate where students in the audience would ask the candidates questions. Due to a mix of Lola having very little idea of what she was actually doing, as well as Ross making outlandish promises for if he wins (such as axing homework entirely, extending recess to one full hour and commissioning new playground gear and getting the students of RWHS to foot the bill), it was looking like Rocky had the best odds of winning.

"Wow," Lincoln remarked as he and his friends all looked around, seeing a few campaign posters had been put up for Rocky. Turning to face Rusty, the sole Loud boy remarked, "Your little brother is surprisingly popular, Rusty. At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up winning the student body president elections."

Nodding in agreement, Rusty said, "I know, right?" As he and the other boys all turned a corner, Rusty said, "I never thought that me anonymously nominating my little brother for student body president as a joke would have made such an-"

"Excuse me?" a young male voice called out, cutting Rusty off and making him as well as all of Rusty's friends turn to see Rocky standing there. The younger Spokes boy was accompanied by Lincoln's younger sister Lucy and Argent Ace, both of which were looking right at Rusty with looks of stern disappointment.

"It was you who nominated Rocky?" Lucy half asked half demanded in an angry, demanding tone, "And you only did so as a _joke_?" Turning to face her older brother, Lucy asked, "Did you know about this, Lincoln?"

With a shrug, Lincoln replied, "I was originally waiting for Rusty's actions to bite him in the butt because otherwise he'll never learn. Granted, I hate that I had to keep quiet about it, but if I had spoken up then Rusty would have been saved from getting in trouble, thus he wouldn't learn that pulling a stunt like that isn't okay."

Gesturing to Rocky, the sole Loud boy continued, "Besides which, Rocky. Even though your brother got you nominated as a joke, you're actually the most likely to win the election, Rocky." Giving the younger Spokes brother a wry look, Lincoln continued, "Don't you think that this is a great opportunity to prove Rusty wrong?"

"Yeah, but…" Rocky began, but stopped short to let out a resigned sigh. "…But I thought that my getting nominated was done seriously, in good faith," Rocky continued to explain, "But now that I've learned that it was all because my idiot older brother thought that it would be funny to put me through something I originally didn't even want…" Sighing once again, the younger Spokes brother remarked, "…I'm…I'm not even sure if I want to continue running or not, since I wasn't being taken seriously and all." Rocky looked down to the floor and lamented, "Maybe I ought to just drop out of the elections."

The others that stood with Rocky in that area of the hallway gasped in shock, and it was Rusty that went up to Rocky, got down on a knee to be level with the shorter boy, and put his hands on Rocky's shoulder. "Look, lil' bro," the older Spokes brother began, his tone sounding serious (which was rather rare), "You can't drop out of the elections. Look, I'm very sorry if I made up upset by letting you in on how I originally nominated you as a joke, but you have got a serious chance to actually win the elections for _real_. Who all here in America can say that they won the student body presidential elections from when they were a kid in school?"

"Besides which," Liam said as he gestured to Rocky, "If you drop out, then Ross will win since he seems more likely to do so than Lincoln's sister that running. You know, Lucy?"

Raising her right hand, Lucy said, "I'm Lucy. Me and Lincoln's sister that's running in the elections is Lola."

"That's beside the point," Liam retorted. Facing Rocky again, the farm boy fifth grader went on, "Rocky, you're the school's best chance of keeping a conceited jerk from collecting all the chips here. You don't want someone who's worse than Chandler back when he was still a jerk to win the election, do you?"

The younger Spokes brother, still looking a bit upset due to discovering that his being nominated was done as a joke, considered what the fifth grader was saying. Eventually, Rocky looked up to the fifth graders, a mildly begrudging look on his face. "…Fine, I'll stay in the elections," Rocky said, then added while pointing an accusing finger at Rusty, "But I'm still upset that you got me nominated as a joke." Crossing his arms over his chest, Rocky said, "Seriously, Rusty, that was not cool. You should leave jokes and other funny business like that to Lucy's sister Luan."

After Rocky finished his bit, Lincoln turned his attention to Liam, an expectant look on the sole Loud boy's face. Noticing that one of his friends was looking at him, Liam turned to see Lincoln. "…What?" Liam asked.

* * *

Sometime a few days later, the students of RWES were all in their first period class when Principal Huggins did the morning announcements over the intercom. "Good morning, students of Royal Woods Elementary," Principal Huggins's voice said over the intercom system, "These are the morning announcements. Firstly, RWES's very own Lisa Loud had just won an award for an invention that she presented at the recent Inventors of Royal Woods symposium. Let's hear it for Miss Loud, students."

A few people applauded in the various classrooms; this was most evident in the Kindergarten class that Lisa was in, but classes that had her older siblings also applauded, with those kids telling the siblings of Lisa congratulations on how their little sister is such a super genius. "On the next matter of business," Principal Huggins's voice continued, "Here's a bit of international news; the government of Konohagakure recently met with the Public Hero Safety Commission that's stationed in Tokyo since residents of Konoha dealt with villains that the PHSC has been trying to get ahold of. The reason I mention this is because said confrontation took place here in Royal Woods, in an incident related to the attack on the construction next to Royal Woods Mall and the temporary theft of animals from the local zoo."

In Ms. Johnson's fifth grade class, Chandler turned to face Lincoln and said, "Hey Lincoln, wasn't your older sister Luna the one who stole a rhino from the zoo recently?"

Giving an indifferent shrug, Lincoln replied, "At least the charges were dropped." Lincoln also made a mental note to grill Liam later over how even Chandler gets the names of his (Lincoln's) ten sisters right.

"Finally, I have the results of the student body elections," Principal Huggins's voice said over the intercom system, "Congratulations to you, Rocky Spokes! You're the new student body president of Royal Woods Elementary!"

Students all over the school cheered for Rocky's win, especially in Ms. Johnson's class where Rusty led everyone, with the exceptions of Ross and his goons, in a class-wide cheer. "Yes, young Spokes did quite well," Principal Huggins's voice said over the intercom system, "At first, the win would have gone to Ross due to how many votes he got, but a quick count showed that he got thirty-six _thousand_ votes. In a school with a student population of under three-hundred and sixty. As such, it was decided that Ross was disqualified."

Ross moaned in defeat and mild embarrassment while some of the kids in his class pointed and laughed at him; this included Rusty and all of his friends, Chandler and his pals Frank and Trent (Sid and Richie weren't in that class for that period), Ronnie Anne and Astrid. "Here's looking forward to what Mr. Spokes will bring to the table for the student body of RWES," Principal Huggins's voice said, "Now then, have a good day, students." The intercom then shut off, which allowed the students of Mr. Johnson's class to talk.

"Wow, Rocky actually won the student body president elections," Rusty remarked aloud, "Who would have guessed that me nominating my little brother as a joke would have had such a result?" Gently shaking his head, the older Spokes boy said, "I can't wait until Rocky and I get home so we can tell our parents about this. I bet that they'll be super impressed with Rocky on how he's clearly rather popular here at school."

Ms. Johnson, as she gave Rusty a mildly unamused look, remarked, "You nominated your little brother as a joke, Rusty? Well that's not very nice." Pointing a ruler at the older Spokes boy, the fifth grade teacher said, "I'll be informing your parents about this. Also, since you did that little joke of yours here on school grounds, you technically broke the rules in regards to the school's zero tolerance policy towards bullying, so I'm going to give you after school detention today."

Snapping his fingers, Rusty said, "Dang it."

END

Arthur's notes:

Yeah, Rusty was going to get it in the end, but besides that, Rocky is now the student body president of RWES. Anyway, the next one-shot that I'll be adding to the collection here will be coming along in short order. Also, this chapter references some of my other works that share the same setting, such as 'We must protect the Runestone!', which connects the main LH fic universe with a few of my other non-LH fics. It's got to play nice with what I have cooking in the background, some of which was hinted at here in this chapter. I have a few ideas, but I need to settle on one of them before I can proceed.

…Maybe I'll write out a few ideas for other works. You know, to get my brain pumping.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I do not own 'The Loud House' or any other property in this work that I did not make myself.

A collection of Loud House one-shots

Preparations for the end (Plot: Even though it's still at least two months or so away, Lori still can't help but feel nervous on how she's about to graduate from Royal Woods High School. But with friends and family by her side, the oldest Loud sibling has all the support she needs. Maybe the upcoming camping trip that she and some of her fellow RWHS students are going on will be just the thing Lori needs to clear her head and ease her worries.)

If there was one thing out of many that was on the mind of Lori Loud, it was that she had a lot on her plate to deal with. The oldest Loud sister (oldest Loud sibling overall) was set to graduate from Royal Woods High School in a couple of months. After that, she had to look into post K-12 education, i.e. college. Her original plan involved her going to the same university that Bobby Santiago's uncle, Carlos Casagrande Sr., taught at. However, due to…unfortunate events…that took place over in Great Lakes City, not only was that option shot down for Lori, it was also shot down for Bobby, meaning he had to find another alternative himself.

To make matters busier for Lori, a number of students at RWHS were looking to her for guidance, as if she was some high-held figure of authority among them. Then again, Lori _did_ win at the most recent homecoming event thus becoming homecoming queen, so it's to be expected; Lori's rival-turned-good friend Carol Pingrey, when she won homecoming and became a queen, she got similar treatment. The oldest Loud sister was jealous of how much everyone seeming fawned over Carol, but now that Lori herself was the recipient of so much attention, she was now seeing that having attained her long-sought goal did, in fact, have a few down sides.

"You seem distracted," a voice familiar to Lori called out to her in the RWHS library one day during lunch, prompting Lori to turn in her seat at the table she was sitting at. When she turned, Lori saw the aforementioned Carol, accompanied by their friends Allison Ace and Trixie Goldberg. It was Trixie that had called out. "I'm guessing that with all of the chaos that's been going on as the school prepares for its weekend camping trip event, you're being run ragged by a lot of the students looking to you for guidance?" the former rich girl asked.

Lori let out a mildly troubled sigh before she began. "I'm literally started to get at the end of my rope here, girls," the oldest Loud sister said, "I'm finding it next to impossible to get some time to myself, if only to get a few minutes' worth of rest before I have to resume my duties as some sort of leading figure among the other students here." Turning a bit of her attention to Carol, Lori said, "I'm starting to wonder how you dealt with it all while you were queen."

With a shrug, Carol replied, "I usually binged a lot of ice cream whenever I return home after a particularly stressful day." Gesturing to her friend, the former queen continued, "But you have it worse. Not only do you also have a load of siblings that also have to look to you as a leading figure, but said siblings probably leave nowhere near enough ice cream for you to relieve all of the stress that builds up in you over the course of a day."

Lori nodded, conceding to Carol's point. "…At least it helps that Lincoln doesn't like rocky road," Lori remarked, "So he doesn't take anything from my tub. Lincoln prefers cookies n' cream, same as my Boo-Boo Bear."

"Ha!" Allison laughed in amusement as she crossed her arms over her chest, "My twin brother also favors cookies n' cream! It seems that the boys are more akin to each other than we all thought at first!"

As Lori relaxed a bit, Trixie took a step forward towards her friend. "You are still needed to say a few things concerning what to do during the big camping trip event," Trixie remarked, "A lot of the clubs that are being drafted to help get everything ready for said trip need a few says from you about what exactly to bring."

Moaning out of mildly exasperated stress, Lori flopped down on the surface of the table she sat at, her face in her forearms. Lifting up her right arm and waving her right hand in the air, Lori said without facing her friends, "Can't you handle that for me, Trixie? Just use common sense to figure out what to tell them to bring and not bring."

Trixie chuckled a bit in self-amusement. "…As much as I would like to act as Hand of the Queen," the former rich girl began, a look of wry amusement on her face, "Everyone's going to want to hear it from the newest queen herself." Trixie walked over to Lori, scooped Lori's left arm up into both of her (Trixie's) arms, then used the leverage to hoist the oldest Loud sister up to her feet, eliciting a tired moan of complaint from Lori.

"Just use common sense, girls," Lori complained in a tired moan.

Chuckling a bit, Carol said with a hint of knowing amusement in her tone and expression, "Now you're getting a taste of what I went through back when I was first homecoming queen. Not as glamourous at it seemed to you back then, now does it?"

"Although it would be wise to allow you a much needed respite, the students will be needing your presence as a guiding force right now," Allison pointed out, "But I highly doubt that Carol and Trixie will argue with me when I say we'll be glad to stand by your side to provide a support for you to lean on if need be." Both Carol and Trixie nodded in agreement, showing that the female Ace twin had got it right on the money.

Lori could not help but crack a small smile in response to all of the support her friends were showing her, even though said smile was clearly rather tired. "…Thanks, girls," the oldest Loud sibling replied, "And trust me when I say that the need _will_ be there." Carol, Allison and Trixie all laughed a bit in a good-natured manner in response to Lori's bit at the end, showing that they weren't going to back out and leave Lori in the cold.

* * *

The camping trip took a bit of a while to prepare, but eventually everything was settled. As per Lori's instructions, common sense was used to determine what all the students that were all going on the camping trip could and could not bring. This meant that stuff like cigarettes and all manner of alcohol were barred. Certain other things, such as video games and other stuff that 'did not fit the spirit of the camping trip' were also barred; this meant that Luan, who also came on the camping trip, had to leave ALL of her comedy stuff behind.

Pointing at Luna who held a guitar, Luan complained to Lori as everyone was at the camp grounds setting up, "How come she got to bring one of her guitars then?"

"It's an acoustic guitar, Luan," Lori pointed out, "Not one of her electric guitars. People play acoustic guitars around campfires all the time, so it'll literally fit the atmosphere of the camping trip just fine."

Luan crossed her arms over her chest as she grumbled in an annoyed tone, similar to how Leni was pouting since she couldn't bring her sewing machine. The four oldest Loud sisters all went on the RWHS weekend camping trip, as all four of them are RWHS students. Various friends of theirs at the school also came; this included Lori's friends Carol, Allison and Trixie, not to mention Lori's boyfriend Bobby and his cousin Carlota, Allison's siblings Aggro, Amy and Alphonse plus their cousin Anastacia, Luna's girlfriend Sam, and Luan's boyfriend Benny. There was quite a selection of others who also came, but these were the most prominent.

…

Once everything was situated, the students on the camping trip began to do various activities. Lori, out of curiosity, saw Bobby head closer to the lake shore with Aggro, Alphonse and Benny. All four boys were carrying various gear for fishing. "Hey, what are you and the other boys doing, Bobby?" Lori called out, getting the boys to stop and Bobby to turn and face the direction that Lori was in.

Holding up the cooler and fishing rod he was carrying, Bobby replied, "We're going to go fishing at the lake."

"I saw your and Luan's sister who likes music head down there with her girlfriend, and they said that they were going fishing as well," Benny said, then added with a mildly concerned look on his face, "I have no idea how they're going to fish, since neither of them took any fishing gear with them."

With a curious look on her face, Lori asked, "Did you see any of what Luna and Sam _did_ take with them down to the lake?"

Listing things off of the tips of his fingers, Benny said, "They took with them a rowboat, two oars, a car battery, some jumper cables and an electric outdoor bug zapper." With a mildly confused look on his face, Benny added as he shrugged in a likewise confused manner, "I don't have any idea how all of that will help them catch fish, though."

The Ace brothers that were there both sighed in resigned, exasperated tones, with Aggro saying, "I think that Luna's old music tutor isn't as good of an influence on her as I initially thought."

* * *

Later, Lori was helping Carol and Trixie set a few things up around some campfire sets that were being prepared; a number of campfires would be set up, and students would sit around these in set numbered groups, rather than have just one big ol' grand campfire that everyone would have to sit around. As the three girls were helping to get things ready, Allison came walking over to the three of them, a look of mild concern on her face.

"Problem, girls," the female Ace twin said, "The teachers forgot to bring a lot of the food we would have otherwise had. All we got are the makings of s'mores and plenty of soda." Gently shaking her head, Allison said, "There's no hot dogs or burger patties to roast over the fire. But the teachers somehow remembered to bring the buns for those foodstuffs."

Throwing her hands up into the air, Lori said in a clearly sarcastic tone, "Well this is literally fan-tucking-fastic! Now there's no meat for everyone to eat tonight!"

With a shrug, Allison half said half offered, "I can go track down and vanquish a bear if that will help with the lack of meat."

"Did you just…" Carol said, both her expression and tone conveying sheer disbelief, as she turned to face Allison, "…Just offer to go find and kill a _bear_?!"

Arching a wry eyebrow, the female Ace twin replied, "Why? Would you rather I find and fell a wild boar instead? Because just to give you fair warning, Annie will not be amused if she is offered meat from such a creature." Gesturing to Carol, Trixie and Lori, Allison explained, "That's why I at first offered to win some bear."

"Maybe…" Trixie began, a hint of unsettled uncertainty in her tone, "…Maybe we can just wait for the boys, Luna and Sam to get back from fishing and see what they got?"

Scoffing, Lori said, "Even with the six of them, I doubt that they on their own will get enough fish to cover everyone who came on the camping trip."

…

As it turned out, Lori was _wrong_.

The combined efforts of Bobby, Aggro, Alphonse, Benny, Luna and Sam was able to get ample fish, enough to cover the whole of the camping trip. With a self-amused look on her face as she and Sam brought in a rowboat full of fish, Luna said, "Yeah, when me and Sam saw that the teachers forgot to bring a lot of the meat like the burger patties and hot dogs, we figured that our little plan could be used to fish up enough fish from the lake to cover everyone."

As she watched Lori's sister and Sam bring in the fish, Allison remarked in a casual and indifferent tone, "So I guess that I am not needed to track down and vanquish a bear for meat."

Turning to look at Allison with a look of sheer disbelief, Benny said, "Okay, Allison. I know from what Luan's told me when she saw you hang out with Lori that you're tough, but I doubt that even you can solo a bear."

With a shrug, Bobby said, "I bet that Lori would love it if I crafted her a bear claw necklace with material that I gathered myself."

* * *

Later that night, as some teachers and a few of the students deboned fish before it was cooked, the other students sat around the campfires to do campfire stuff. Pulling out her acoustic guitar, Luna looked around the campfire she sat at; going clockwise from Luna, there was Sam, Trixie, Lori, Carol, Luan, Leni and Amy. As she strummed the strings on her guitar, the musical Loud sister proceeded to sing a song.

As that was going on, Bobby, Aggro, Alphonse and Benny brought some food over to the girls, including properly cooked fish. "I still can't believe what Lori's younger sister and that Sam girl had managed to pull off," Bobby whispered to Aggro, "I wouldn't be surprised if that lake is now completely depopulated."

With a shrug, Aggro replied, "I'm sure that they meant well, Bobby. Also, we got food now and the damage's been done. Besides which, I'm sure that Luna and Sam aren't anywhere near as bad as you think they're starting to be-"

"Is he strong? Hell f***ing no," Luna sang as she played her acoustic guitar, the music sounding oddly reminiscent of a certain old time hero cartoon, "He went to the ER when he stubbed his toe." As the musically inclined Loud girl continued to sing, Bobby, as well as Benny, both turned to look at the male Ace twin.

Letting out a resigned sigh, Aggro said, "…I'll ask Leni-chan to have a sit down with Luna and Sam later."

* * *

After the high school students had their fun and what not, everyone proceeded to hit the hay. This saw the vast majority of the camping trip, students and school staff alike, go to the various tents that had been set up, although there were a few who decided to sleep in either the bus or some of the vehicles that were driving to the camp grounds. However, not _everyone_ had taken to sleep so easily.

The main example of this being Lori who, still worried about what the future may have in store for her, took a stroll through the woods, eventually coming to something of a clearing that would allow her to look up to the clear, starry night sky. The oldest Loud sibling felt small there, under the vast, inky cosmos that hung infinitely overhead. Lori, given all that has kept her occupied for the last few days, was not hit by her worries as they all returned in full.

It was as Lori stood there in that clearing when she heard someone call out to her. "Lori?" the familiar voice of Leni called out, clearly sounding concerned, "Are you, like, okay?" Lori turned to see Leni come walking over to her. The presence of her fashionably inclined sister served as a reminder of something else that worried Lori; when it came time for Lori to move out of the house so she could go to whatever college awaited her, that would mean that Leni would be left in charge of the younger siblings.

Lori, as much as she cared about and had confidence in her fashionably inclined sister, highly doubted a person with Leni's personality and strength of will would be able to corral the other Loud siblings from Luna to Lily, even _with_ some of them, such as Lincoln and Lucy, being tame when compared to the rowdier ones such as Lynn and Lana. Seeing that her younger sister was looking at her with concern on her face, Lori let out a resigned sigh before she turned to face her properly and begin to confess how she felt.

"Leni, I'm…" Lori began, "…Scared. Scared of what the future will hold for me. I mean, I'm set to graduate from Royal Woods High in a few months. I still have to find a new college to go to since the one Bobby's late uncle used to teach at is no longer an option for both myself and Bobby. And even if I _do_ find an option for college and get in, I'll be leaving you to look after the rest of our siblings since I'll be moving out for college." With a gentle shake of her head, the oldest Loud sibling said, "And that's just a few of the many things that I've got on my plate right now to worry ab-"

Lori was surprised to find herself cut off when Leni, who walked up to her as she talked, threw her arms around her to get her to stop. "…I'm worried too, Lori," Leni said softly, "You're going to be leaving sooner than I can deal with. You'll be on your own, and neither I nor any of our siblings will be there to help you, to be there with you. We're going to miss you, Lori, and there is, like, nothing that will be able to ease our worry while you're out on your own."

Lori relented a bit as she realized, through Leni's words that, in a few months' time, Lori's own world won't be the only one affected by her moving out for college, assuming that she does, in fact, find one for her to attend. The oldest Loud sibling was so worried about her path that she had failed to give appropriate consideration to the fact that her lack of being around will have an effect on her family. Her parents would miss her, as would all of her sisters, with Leni right there being a big example of that.

There was also how Lori could not deny that she was secretly going to miss Lincoln a whole lot as well. He was her younger/only brother. Lincoln had gone through so much over the last couple of months or so, had done a whole lot not just for Lori herself but for more people than she could even begin to imagine or even guess. Lori had to admit that the white-haired boy had made more of an impact on her life than any one of the rest of the siblings, but soon she would be (assuming she gets things worked out) living far away from the man with the plan.

Lori also heard that Lincoln was training with Leni's boyfriend Aggro (who was going to be attending a local community college in Royal Woods once he and Allison graduates) to learn a proper style to make maximum use of Vampiric Stun, along with his continuing Kendo lessons and the fact that Lincoln is now learning Japanese from the male Ace twin. The oldest Loud sibling wished she could be there for her little brother, so see him make the leaps and bounds in his growth that she was certain would be taking place, to applaud and express pride in seeing the sole Loud boy go truly live up to the 'man' part of his aforementioned moniker.

Letting out a resigned sigh, Lori admitted, "…I'm just going to miss you." Leni perked up a bit out of mildly confused surprise when she heard her sister talk. "And it's not just you that I will be missing, Leni," Lori went on, "Our parents, our sisters, Lincoln, our grandparents, all of our various friends that will be staying in Royal Woods once my class graduates…" The oldest Loud sibling gently shook her head as she trailed off a bit, a few stray tears falling down the sides of her face as everything that had been building up over recent events were all starting to come to a head for her. Lori raised her head to look right at Leni, showing her fashionable younger sister that she was sad, that she was worried about her personal trials that she was going to be facing in the times to come.

Leni, smiling in a sympathetic manner, hugged her sister again. "…It's okay to, like, be afraid, Lori," the fashionable Loud sister said, her tone gentle and reassuring, "This is going to be totes big for you, what you'll be up to in a few months after you graduate. I'm not going to hold you being afraid against you, and I doubt that anyone that we know will hold it against you either. The future, especially now that certain things that were guaranteed are no longer viable, is bound to be rather scary."

Letting Lori out of the hug, Leni kept her in place by keeping her hands on Lori's biceps. "That's why we're here for you," Leni said, "Mom and dad, me, our sisters, Linky, Pop-pop and Gram-Gram, and even Aunt Ruth. And those are just our relatives; we have who knows how many friends just between the two of us, and loads more after them that are with our younger siblings, and plenty of them have no problem being there for you if you need a shoulder to lean on." As she gave her sister a frim and serious but still sympathetic and gentle look, Leni said, "You are, like, nowhere near as alone on this as you think you are, Lori. All you need to do is not be afraid to ask for help when you feel you need it."

The oldest Loud sibling felt a bit overwhelm, her younger sister's words breaking through this sort of wall that had built up inside around Lori's inner feelings over the events of the last few weeks to months. Lori fell forward a bit where she was caught in Leni's arms, softly crying as she began to have a purge of emotions. Leni, for her part, smiled gently and sympathetically as she gently patted her older sister on the back. After Lori had cried for a few minutes, Leni said, "Are you ready to head back to the camp?" Lori nodded gently in the affirmative right before Leni proceeded to lead her back to the camp grounds.

…

To the surprise of Lori and Leni, when they returned to the camp, they saw a dead bear lying next to one of the vans. Luna and Luan, who saw their sisters return just now, dashed up to them and explained what happened; apparently, the bear had wandered by and was dangerously close to one of the cars that a student was sleeping in. It was at that prompting that Allison decided to attack and sub sequentially kill the bear.

"The beast was no challenge at all," Allison said in an almost bragging like manner, "A single Gungnir Bolt and the beast was vanquished." Turning to look at where the dead bear laid against one of the vans, the female Ace twin continued, "After I dragged it over and laid it against that van, I proceeded to ask for advice on how to have some claws, teeth and the pelt harvested, the first two to use as charms for accessories and the latter to make a rug for Fenrir to lay on, as well as a bear pelt skirt for myself. I also want to carve off some meat and prep it for consumption."

Over where some of the boys stood, Aggro and Bobby both turned to face Benny, both of them giving him knowing looks. "…Okay," the fourteen-year-old boy began to reply, "In my defense, I did not take _that_ into account."

* * *

The following Monday, and everyone who went on the field trip returned home. Since there was no school in Royal Woods on that Monday, the high school students were free to relax at home before having to head straight back to school. In the morning on Monday, Lori was sitting at her family's dining room table, drinking from a mug of coffee. The only person who sat at the table with her at the time was Lincoln, who was having his own mug of coffee, although he took his with cream and sugar.

"So Lori, how was the camping trip?" Lincoln asked in a conversational tone after taking a sip from his coffee.

With a bit of a smile, Lori replied, "I had a heart to heart with Leni that eased some of my worries about what my future has in store for me." The oldest Loud sister thought to tell Lincoln about how Luna and Sam depopulated a lake as they were 'fishing' and how Allison killed a _frigg_ _in' bear_ , but she figured that her little brother didn't need to know that much. Lori did not want to sour his morning too much.

Nodding once, Lincoln remarked, "That sounds nice, Lori. You know, we're all always here for you if you need us. I mean, that's what family is for, right?" Lori smiled again, touched that her little brother was likewise offering to help her with a shoulder to lean on if need be. Lincoln also had a point, about how the rest of their family would be there for Lori if she needed it. Granted, there was still the fact that Lori had to find a college to go, but that was-

"Yo, Lori!" Luna called out, dragging Lori out of her thoughts and making both her and Lincoln look over to see Luna entering the dining room, with what appeared to be a college/university brochure in her hand. "My main man Crow sent me this from where he and his crew lives out in California," the musically inclined Loud said as she handed the brochure over to Lori, "It's for a university that is located in the same suburb where Crow and his crew lives. He sent this to me when I told him about how your old option for post-school education was shot down and told me to hand it off to you when it got here."

Lori opened the college brochure, which was for a place called Hogan University. Gesturing to the brochure, Luna explained, "It offers university-level schooling for community college-level prices. The only issue is that it's out in San Francisco, but Crow said something about working out being able to house you himself while you're attending that place."

The oldest Loud sibling went over the brochure carefully. This Hogan University place that Luna's Californian friend Crow sent the brochure about seemed rather good, at least as good as the university that the late Carlos Casagrande Sr. taught at. The prices, just as Luna said they were, were also rather alluring, and the housing issue would be resolved because Crow and his roommates would be putting her up.

"…We're literally going to have to talk this over with mom and dad," Lori replied, "But if this place will take me in, then I think I've found the school to go to after I graduate Royal Woods High." Luna and Lincoln, happy that their sister found a new path, both cheered, drawing a small but amused (and secretly sincerely thankful) smile from the oldest Loud sibling.

END

Author's notes:

Yeah, even though she's the tough as nails sister that she's shown herself off as to her siblings, Lori is still just as human as any of them, meaning that she has her worries. And with all that has occurred in the overall setting that I'm working on, you can see why she'd be as worried as she is. Even so, she has her family and friends there by her side, supporting her where and when they are needed, so Lori isn't being left out to hang.

Anyway, I'm going to be putting the one-shot collection on hold for the time being again, as there's a new story connected to the setting that the one-shot collection takes place in that I have to work on and get out. I won't say what will go down, but I will say that it was partly hinted at least once in this one shot. I also built a link between some other settings and the main Loud House fic setting that I've been working on since very early on. There will be loads of surprises around the corner for when everything _Goes Beyond_ and comes together in a _Plus Ultra_ style fashion.


End file.
